Payouts in Rangers malicious prosecution case on course to top £60 million

THE full bill for payouts related to the Rangers malicious prosecution scandal could be higher than

£60 million, according to a report by auditors.

The Crown Office has allocated £60.5m in unplanned costs for cases brought against the Lord Advocate by people connected to the acquisition and administration of the club.

Audit Scotland’s annual report into the Scottish Government’s accounts detailed the costs, with £51.7m being paid out in compensation and legal costs as of March 2023.

A further £8.8m has been set aside for cases which are still to be finalised.

The Audit Scotland report said: “To date, the [Crown Office] has accounted for £60.5m of unplanned costs in connection with these claims against the Lord Advocate. Some cases have been resolved, with sums paid to the pursuers totalling £51.7m to March 2023 with a further £8.8m provided in respect of cases still to be finalised.”

Several people involved in the administration and acquisition of Rangers were wrongly prosecuted and later launched civil claims against Scotland’s prosecution service.

Administrators David Whitehouse and Paul Clark were arrested in 2014, although the Crown Office later dropped charges and admitted their prosecutions were “malicious”.

The Lord Advocate also admitted Charles Green and Imran Ahmad should never have been prosecuted, with Mr Green receiving more than £6 million in compensation plus legal costs.

In November last year, MSPS were told the costs connected to the malicious prosecution litigation were just under £51m.

Scottish Conservative shadow justice secretary Russell Findlay said: “A fearless and efficient inquiry, chaired by someone from outwith Scotland, must robustly get to the bottom of this malice and incompetence and hold those responsible to account.”