Rangers fraud probe victim: Don’t let detectives retire
Police Scotland is still to decide on the suspension of officers at the centre of a flawed fraud probe into the takeover of Rangers eight months after receiving a complaint from a financial expert wrongfully prosecuted.
David Grier complained to the force’s professional standards department but fears Detective Chief Inspector Jim Robertson and Detective Chief Inspector Jacqueline O’Neill, who led the botched investigation and have since been promoted, will retire before the inquiry’s failures are properly detailed.
Last week Grier’s lawyers were at the Court of Session to appeal a ruling by Lord Tyre in January that Grier, who is seeking £8.7 million in compensation, was not maliciously prosecuted.
Lord Tyre said Grier should not have been arrested over the investigation into the 2012 Rangers takeover by Charles Green and concluded the police probe was riven with incompetence, poor judgment, lack of professionalism and recklessness, but was not malicious.
All seven of those arrested were cleared of any wrongdoing and Grier complained to Police Scotland about his treatment on February 1 this year.
However, no ruling on the conduct of either officer has been made and it was reported earlier this year that Robertson, 54, had applied for early retirement.
Grier, who is from Barrhead near Glasgow, said: “Police Standards have accepted my complaints but say they cannot start to investigate in detail because there are allegations of criminality that need to be assessed by the Crown Office.
“I met with Shelagh McCall, the independent KC who’s been appointed to look at this, in April but I’ve had no further communication.”
The Crown Office said: “We have received complaints and arrangements have been made for them to be dealt with fairly and objectively by an independent Advocate Depute with no previous involvement in the case.”
Police Scotland said: “We have received complaints and they are being dealt with in line with our complaints handling process.”