Latest news with #Whyte
The Herald Scotland
an hour ago
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
Why the failed Rangers fraud case has cost the taxpayer over £60m
Criticism over the 'state of inertia' has come nine years after judges in England said part of the investigation was an "abuse of state power". There are concerns that no actions have been taken to formally investigate criminal complaints arising from the conduct of the police investigation the first of which were understood to have been lodged nine years ago. And preparations for a promised judge-led public inquiry into the affair are considered by some to be in a state of inertia despite pledges to establish one - over four years ago. What was the Rangers fraud case about? The case revolved around the 2012 financial collapse and subsequent sale of Rangers Football Club, one of Scotland's largest and most historic football teams. ____________________________ READ MORE Cover up' over nine-year failure to probe Rangers fraud arrests & state power abuse ___________________________ It came in the wake of the purchase of the club by businessman Craig Whyte from from Sir David Murray for £1 in May 2011 and against a backdrop of the controversial nature of his nine-months in charge. Craig Whyte It became controversial because Mr Whyte supported the funding of the purchase through selling the rights to future season ticket sales to the London-based agency Ticketus to raise £24m and pay off bank debt as part of his share purchase agreement. It was alleged that Mr Whyte misrepresented the source of the funds and failed to pay taxes leading to the club falling into administration in 2012. Within four months, the company's business and assets were sold to the Sevco consortium fronted by former Rangers chief executive Charles Green for £5.5 million. Scotland's Crown Office subsequently initiated a series of fraud and financial crime investigations, accusing seven former club executives and financial advisors of criminal misconduct during the sale and administration processes. However, these prosecutions turned out to be fundamentally flawed. Multiple individuals were arrested and charged, but the charges were either dropped, dismissed by the courts, while prosecutions against four of the seven were found to be malicious. All four successfully won claims for compensation for damages. So there was a cost to the taxpayer? Yes. Latest government calculations seen by the Herald shows it amounts to over £60m. Administrative spending, including staffing and legal costs paid out to contest concluded civil cases arising from the failed fraud case amounted to £9.429m up to Oct last year The compensation costs paid out in the civil cases has amounted to a further £51.7m. Imran Ahmad (left) with former Rangers chief executive Charles Green But it is understood that a settlement payment of £528,615 to Imran Ahmad, the former Rangers commercial director who it was admitted was maliciously prosecuted is not included in this calculation, along with any costs being claimed by him. Who was wrongly prosecuted? David Whitehouse and Paul Clark, joint administrators of Rangers working for Duff and Phelps was arrested and charged in 2014, and the charges were dropped in 2016. They were later awarded damages and costs for malicious prosecution at more than £21m. David Whitehouse (left) and Paul Clark Charles Green, former chief executive of Rangers was arrested and charged in 2015 and had charges dropped in 2018 and was awarded £6.3m damages for malicious prosecution. Also gaining more limited damages of over £600,000 was Imran Ahmad, the former Rangers commercial director who it was also accepted was maliciously prosecuted. Kroll, which was formerly called Duff & Phelps, which began court action against the Crown Office for reputational damage came to a settlement with the prosecution service and thought to have received a £15.5m payout. Craig Whyte, the former Rangers owned was acquitted of all charges in 2017 after a high-profile trial but as of now has not received any damages. It is understood a claim for £500,000 against the Lord Advocate was dropped. Gary Withey, a solicitor at the London law firm Collyer Bristow, played a significant role in Craig Whyte's purchase of the club. But he passed away in 2019, at the age of 55. Former Duff and Phelps consultant David Grier who was arrested in connection with the sale and administration of Rangers and had charges dropped, pursued a £9m damages claim but the Court of Session decided there he had failed to prove he was victim of malicious prosecution but accepted that it "lacked reasonable and probable cause". He took the case to the highest court in the UK, the Supreme Court but permission to appeal was refused. Why were the prosecutions considered malicious? Scotland's senior law officer, the Lord Advocate admitted that they acted without probable cause and with malice when pursuing four of the men. It meant the legal actions should never have been brought forward. Courts found that there were no reasonable grounds for arrest or prosecution. There were failures in disclosure and misuse of court procedures. Evidence was not properly presented or was missing altogether. In 2016, High Court judges in London ruled police and prosecutors "abused state power" in a raid during an investigation by seizing privileged documents. James Wolffe Scotland's then Lord Advocate, James Wolffe, eventually issued formal apologies to some of the wrongly accused and he stepped down from his post three months after agreeing with the Scottish Government, in February, 2021 that there would be a public inquiry. Why does this case matter so much? It is one of the most expensive legal failures and some would say scandals in recent history in Scotland, not just in terms of cost, but also public confidence in the legal system. Key concerns have included abuse of state powers, a lack of transparency of prosecution processes, the use of public money and the role of legal accountability in high-profile cases. What consequences have there been for those responsible? There has been significant political and public pressure on the Crown Office and Lord Advocate's Office over their handling of the case but so far no-one has been brought to task over the failings in the prosecutions. Public apologies have been issued to those wrongly and maliciously prosecuted. The home of Rangers - Ibrox (Image: Archives) Mr Wolffe during key parts of the scandal, faced questioning by MSPs but stood by the professionalism of the Crown Office overall. There have been calls for systemic reform of how Scotland handles complex fraud cases. What next? The Scottish Government and the Crown Office are now under pressure to act on long-standing criminal complaints and the promise of a four-year-old promise of a judge-led public inquiry.
Scotsman
5 days ago
- Politics
- Scotsman
Edinburgh's garden waste charge could be illegal and force council to pay millions back to residents, says Tory councillor
Edinburgh's £40-a-year garden waste charge could be illegal, according to the city's Tory group leader - and if he's right, the council could be forced to pay back millions of pounds to residents. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Iain Whyte claims the charge - which the Tories have branded "the garden tax" - flies in the face of legislation specific to Edinburgh which says that garden waste should be treated as household waste. And Cllr Whyte points to another law which says there can be no charge for household waste. The garden waste charge was introduced in October 2018 amid lots of controversy. It was initially set at £25 a year, then increased to £35 in 2021 and this year it has gone up again to £40. It is estimated to bring in up to £1.4 million a year to the council. The charge for garden waste collections was introduced in 2018. Picture: Jane Barlow | TSPL Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad At last week's transport and environment committee, convener Stephen Jenkinson accepted a call by Cllr Whyte for officials to look into whether the charging regime for garden waste collection complies with the law and report back on any risk for the council in continuing to charge for the service, and any actions required to make it legally compliant. The two laws cited by Cllr Whyte are the 1982 Civic Government (Scotland) Act, which says councils can charge for trade waste "but may not include provision for such payment for the collection or disposal of household waste", and the City of Edinburgh District Council Order Confirmation Act 1991, legislation which brings together a wide variety of legal requirements affecting the city in one place. It says: "In its application to the council, the definition of 'household waste' contained in subsection (5) of section 124 of the Act of 1982 shall be deemed to include garden refuse." Tory group leader Iain Whyte claims the charge for emptying brown bins could be illegal | Johnston Press License Cllr Whyte told the Evening News: 'I've tried to raise this before, but I've never had an answer. The Confirmation Act states that the council must treat garden waste as household waste. And the Civic Government Scotland Act say that you cannot charge for the collection of household waste. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'As I understand it, both piece of legislation are still in force. So it could well be that the council had no power to implement the garden tax for collecting brown bin waste. 'Unless they can point to a different piece of legislation that annuls this, one of the first questions is: Do we have to pay the money back to the residents who've paid for it?' Cllr Jenkinson said he had agreed to Cllr Whyte's request in order to clarify the situation. He said: 'Officers themselves are comfortable that the position is legal. However, I don't think it does any harm to get that legal position absolutely clarified. 'Cllr Whyte's understanding of one piece of legislation is that it is all treated the same. However, I believe there is a counter-argument that there is another piece of legislation which says the opposite. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'We're not the only local authority in Scotland or the UK to charge for picking up garden waste. I would be surprised if there is a question mark over its legality because it has been in place for a number of years now, but I'm no lawyer so it seemed the right thing to do to ask the question and get the clarity he's looking for.'
Hamilton Spectator
23-05-2025
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
Native Centre gets $73K grant for HR role
The Niagara Regional Native Centre in Niagara-on-the-Lake announced yesterday it received a $73,100 seed grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation for a human resources manager. Halley Irwin, the centre's director of development and community engagement, said the funding will support a human resources manager, who will be a part of recruitment and strengthen the centre's capacity to serve the Indigenous community. Cynthia Whyte was hired for the position on a one-year contract in February and works closely with the executive director to create an internal system for human resources at the centre and strengthening its team of staff — a 'strictly internal' role, said Irwin. 'To help us put some structure in place to support our staff,' Irwin told The Lake Report. 'Which, in turn, will help us better run our programming,' she said. Serving about 2,000 Indigenous people annually, the centre hopes the funding will help it reach more of the estimated 14,000 Indigenous residents in Niagara, said Irwin. 'Having Cynthia (will) help us cast a little bit of a wider net to secure talent,' she said. 'A key piece of what she is here for.' To Irwin, having a dedicated HR manager 'is a signal of the growth' of the centre and a 'sign of the good things' it's doing, she said. The grant isn't going to all be used for salary — Irwin says it will also support updating policies, performance reviews, staff onboarding and supporting existing employees to better run programs. 'I'm very excited. I'm honoured,' said Whyte. Whyte, who works in the office two days a week, said her top priority is building a strong HR foundation through her policies, procedures, internal training, recruiting and long-term plans to develop the workforce. 'It's really building the HR structure,' she said. 'It's actually been a need in First Nation communities for years.' Niagara Falls MPP Wayne Gates attended the announcement to recognize Ontario's support. 'We invited Wayne to join us today,' said Irwin, who called Gates 'a great ally' and a consistent supporter of the centre's work. 'The indigenous community is extremely important,' said Gates. 'In particular, the Native Centre.' Gates called the funding a great step made possible by the Trillium grant process and said it will help support a new position 'which can now work really hard on different programs,' he said. 'Every once in a while, you need help and that's where the Trillium Fund comes in,' he said. Irwin described the provincial grant as a 'great show of support and a good step in the right direction,' she said. 'It's a good opportunity for Indigenous organizations to apply for support from the provincial government,' she said. The centre plans to seek additional grants to extend Whyte's contract beyond next February. 'Even in the few months Cynthia has been here, it has been life-changing,' said Irwin. paigeseburn@
Irish Independent
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
In the salerooms: A record-breaking Kashmir sapphire, Jack B Yeats and more
A sapphire and diamond ring formerly estimated between €8,000 and €12,000 fetched a record-breaking €550,000 at Adam's on May 13. The estimate increased to €150,000 to €250,000 when the gemstone was found to be from Kashmir, where it was mined in the 19th century. See Whyte's Whyte's auction of Irish & International Art takes place Monday, May 26. The highest estimate in the sale is for Paul Henry's West of Ireland Bog (Lot 18: est €120,000 to €180,000). In contrast, Achill Horses, 1933, by Mainie Jellett (Lot 37: est €70,000 to €100,000), depicts the west of Ireland in an abstract style radically different to those of her peers, Paul Henry and Charles Lamb. See Dolan's The Summer Auction of Irish Art & Whiskeys closes at Dolan's on Monday, May 26. The highlight of the sale is an oil painting by Jack B Yeats, Man Running (1947) (est €100,000 to €150,000). 'It was painted in a period when Yeats was confronting his own mortality and his paintings often centred on elderly male figures wandering across an uncultivated but impressive terrain,' writes art critic Roisin Kennedy. See Hegarty Antiques The auction of The Kingsland Collection Part II takes place live online at Hegarty Antiques on Wednesday, May 28. Highlights include some rare provincial Irish silver: a set of 10 silver dessert spoons by Patrick Connell of Limerick, circa 1785 (Lot 6: est €4,000 to €5,000); and a silver sugar castor by Daniel McCarthy of Cork circa 1770 (est €2,200 to €3,200). See
Scotsman
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Scotsman
Edinburgh traffic: Council plans will leave only one east-west route through city, claims councillor
Council traffic plans will leave Edinburgh with just one main east-west route through the city, the Capital's Tory group leader Iain Whyte has claimed. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... And he says that will mean increased congestion and more traffic on local roads where people live and shop. Councillor Whyte claims proposed traffic measures and anticipated developments will reduce the capacity of several existing routes between the east and west of the city. London Road will be part of the only remaining east-west route through the city, according to Cllr Iain Whyte. Picture: Google. | Google Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad And when they are all put together, he says the route along Queen Street, Leith Walk, London Road and onto Willowbrae Road emerges as effectively the only remaining east-west main road. He said: "As a Craigentinny/Duddingston councillor I am extremely concerned for the local implications of the build-up of plans the council has to restrict vehicle movement in the area. Combined with long term plans by Historic Environment Scotland (HES) to close the roads in Holyrood Park, it would be catastrophic. 'It will create more traffic on shopping streets and residential side streets in east Edinburgh and make it almost impossible for local people to get anywhere to their west in the city or to get out of Edinburgh. "I also believe this could be hugely damaging for the future of business and the economy in Edinburgh as the council shows no wish to retain a viable set of main routes in and out. Even in European cities that are zealous about forcing reductions in car and van use, they retain a network of main routes. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'The council's combined plans leave only one route in east Edinburgh with no resilience for roadworks or incidents. How are the many businesses who use vehicles to deliver to or provide services to customers meant to get about?" Cllr Whyte said the existing route through Leith - along Salamander Street, Seafield and onto Sir Harry Lauder Road - would be affected by three separate projects, starting with the Leith Connections phase three plans for a cycle route from Hawthornvale to Seafield. 'There's also a masterplan at Seafield to turn it into a housing area and some people aspire to it as an extension of Portobello High Street. And at the Harry Lauder junction they are already looking at cycle lanes across that and narrowing it from four lanes coming in to two lanes coming in.' He said another route using Niddrie Mains Road would also soon be ruled out as a main through route. 'There's a big project planned there which talks about bus lanes, cycle lanes, build-outs at junctions.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad And a route through the bottom of the Old Town and Holyrood Park would disappear if HES closed the roads in Holyrood Park. Cllr Whyte said: 'The council sneaks these plans through under innocuous sounding names like 'Our Future Streets' but never explains the implications because they know it would be widely rejected by the public. They use public views that support less traffic in their area to back up small plans one by one but never show the full picture created when the jigsaw fits together. "These plans would mean even more congestion in all the wrong places, clogged bus routes and no way to get about in what should be an accessible city that gives residents the benefits of all its neighbourhoods and not just the one they live in. 'This plan needs an immediate review and the city must retain a viable primary traffic network." Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Transport convener Stephen Jenkinson said the projects in the council's City Mobility Plan would be rolled out in a controlled fashion. 'It's not a big bang approach,' he said. 'And the projects have to complement each other. If there are changes made which are outwith the council's control then there is scope to flex and change if necessary.' And he added: 'The Conservatives are against the principle of what we are trying to do. When we are potentially restricting traffic flows it's done based on good gathering of data and evidence. The purpose of the City Mobility Plan is to move people and vehicles around the city in a way which is efficient, reduces congestion and enables us to work towards the targets we've set on the climate and reducing car kilometres.'
