Police are investigating the alleged leaking of confidential information relating to the Rangers tax case.

Strathclyde Police said officers had been instructed to look into suspicions that private details were released in breach of the law.

Former club chairman Sir David Murray said in November he had instructed legal advisers to submit a complaint to the Crown Office regarding the publication of information relating to his tax affairs. It came after details of Employee Benefit Trust (EBT) payments made to staff and players emerged on the internet and in BBC Scotland documentary Rangers – The Men Who Sold The Jerseys.

Then, Sir David's company,

Murray Holdings International, said it had concerns about the volume of private and confidential financial detail that had been made public.

The former Rangers club, known as Oldco, was investigated last year over its use of EBTs.

The probe centred on the period from 2000 to 2011, during Sir David's stewardship of the club. The club effectively won the case after a tribunal ruled that some payments made to players through EBTs were taxable but that many of them could be described as loans, as the club had argued.

An appeal has been lodged by Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs.

Law firm Levy & McRae said in a statement: "He [Sir David] has asked that this matter is investigated and that anyone found guilty of breaching the law is the subject of prosecution."

A police spokeswoman said yesterday: "Following instructions from the Crown Office, an investigation is ongoing into the circumstances surrounding the alleged leaking of confidential information relating to the Rangers tax case.

"It would be inappropriate to comment further at this time."