RANGERS Football Club will face fresh embarrassment in court today after failing to settle a £35,000 bill with one of Scotland's top law firms.
Counsel for Glasgow-based Levy & McRae are expected to apply for a decree in the Court of Session to award the firm all it is owed from the Ibrox club.
It comes after Levy & McRae claimed Rangers had indicated they would pay the full sums being sued over yesterday, but failed to do so. No explanation was given, the firm said.
Initial court proceedings had already taken place between Rangers and Levy & McRae over the unpaid legal bills which arose out of advice given on how to handle the Uefa investigation into sectarian singing at Europa League games against Dutch side PSV Eindhoven.
Rangers were fined €40,000 (£35,652) by Uefa in March and its fans banned from the next away European game for sectarian singing at the match in Holland. The club also received a suspended ban on its fans for a second away game, for a probationary period of three years.
It is understood that if the decree is granted Rangers will be given several days to pay, after which the debt will be handed to a messenger-at-arms who is authorised to enforce civil judgments.
Solicitor advocate Peter Watson, of Levy & McRae, said yesterday: “We were advised yesterday [Wednesday] that solicitors for RFC had indicated that they would pay the full sums sued for, interest and expenses. This was to be paid by bank transfer during the course of today [Thursday] to Balfour and Manson, the solicitors representing this firm.
“Payment has not been made and no explanation for this failure has been given to those representing us. We can do no more than bring all of this before the court at the earliest opportunity, which will be tomorrow. Those representing RFC can then no doubt explain to the court what they failed to explain to those representing this firm.”
Former Rangers owner Sir David Murray has made it clear his successor, Craig Whyte, was “fully aware” of an outstanding tax liability of £2.8 million before the purchase in May.
A preliminary hearing in the Levy & McRae case was heard at the Court of Session a week ago as Rangers had £2.8m seized after an arrest order was issued to the club’s bank over an unpaid tax bill.
The order was delivered on Thursday following an application by Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC). The club’s bank put the money into a holding account.
A Rangers spokesman said: “Agreement has been reached on this matter and it seems extraordinary and unnecessary that any form of action is being taken at this stage.”
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