Five In Court Over Rangers Sale

17 October 2015, 08:15 | Updated: 30 March 2016, 13:50

Five men have appeared in a public court for the first time over the alleged fraudulent acquisition of Rangers.

The Glasgow football club's former owner Craig Whyte, 44, and former chief executive Charles Green, 62, were among those who appeared at the High Court in Edinburgh on Friday.

David Grier, 54, David Whitehouse, 50, and Paul Clark, 51, also attended the day-long preliminary hearing before Lord Turnbull.

Whyte, with Grier, Whitehouse and Clark were charged with conspiring together to acquire and obtain by fraud a majority and controlling stake in the shareholding of the club.

A further accused, Gary Withey, 51, also faces the charge but was not in court today and was represented by his lawyer.

Green also appeared at the public hearing, where prosecutors made various allegations, including that he and others ''did agree to do something that (they) knew or suspected or ought reasonably have known or suspected would enable or further the commission of serious organised crime''.

The charges against the group were in a 20-page indictment.

The court sat into the evening but the details of the discussions cannot be reported for legal reasons.

Judge Lord Turnbull set a date for the case to call again in December.