Ex-Rangers chief lines up £75million damages claim due to unbelievable lack of apology
Imran Ahmad is pursuing damages of £75million for the Lord Advocate’s refusal to apologise for the “malicious” prosecution of the former Rangers director, The Herald reports.
Ahmad is one of a number of people arrested and prosecuted as part of the failed fraud case stemming from Craig Whyte’s £1 takeover of the club from Sir David Murray in May 2011.
Almost £50million has already been paid out in damages to those involved, including administrators David Whitehouse and Paul Clark of Duff and Phelps, the company itself, and former Gers chief executive Charles Green.
The Herald has now revealed that Ahmad was willing to settle the matter for nothing if he was provided with an apology three years ago, but was “unbelievably” turned down.
The report says: “In the latest twist in an ‘abuse of state power’ scandal, the Herald on Sunday understands Mr Ahmad offered to settle the wrongful arrest issue for zero damages three years ago in return for a letter of apology from the Crown Office.
“It means that the taxpayer now faces a bill of over £130m for the malicious prosecutions scandal with nearly £50m already paid out to those who were wrongly accused.”
He was eventually given the apology in 2021, and The Herald reports: “But by then it was all too late as an embittered Mr Ahmad was forced to trigger his action to salvage his reputation and will now expect to get significant damages.
“Sources close to the executive said that he believes that even if he was offered £50m he would want to go to court to “lift the lid” on the behaviour of police and prosecutors.”
Staggering
As if the descent into administration and the bottom of the Scottish professional pyramid wasn’t damaging enough for the club and its fans, the recriminations surrounding the time continue to drag on and cost them as tax-payers.
It seems that nobody can escape from that period of the club’s history unscathed, but the role of the state and the Lord Advocate in particular is baffling.
If Ahmad’s position is accurate, that he was ready to draw a line under the matter for nothing more than an apology, then what was there to lose in providing it at the time?
Lord Mulholland had presided over the collapsed investigations, but James Wolffe QC had taken over in 2016 and was dealing with the fallout.
That the apology did subsequently arrive and the fault was admitted appears to show that the current situation is entirely unnecessary, whatever anyone’s stance towards Rangers or the individuals involved might be.
It is over a decade since the takeovers occurred, and while the club have built their way back up on the pitch to capture the 2020/21 SPFL title, the legal ramifications continue to drag on in an unsavoury manner.
The quicker they can be resolved without further being made worse the better for all involved, and the hope has to be that the experience helps avoid a similar situation in the future.
In other Rangers news, Chris Sutton took aim at the Light Blues as he raged against English criticism of Celtic.