Charles Green 'appointed Craig Whyte to Rangers buyout company'

Rangers chief executive Charles Green signed off on Craig Whyte's appointment as a director of the company used in the initial stages of his buyout, according to documents lodged at Companies House.

Documents seen by STV appear to show Mr Green’s signature verifying the appointments of Mr Whyte and his associate Aidan Earley as directors of Sevco 5088 Limited.

This appears to contradict a statement made by Mr Green in an interview with STV this week. When asked what part did Mr Whyte and Mr Earley have in Sevco 5088, he said: "Neither of them had a role in Sevco 5088."

However, Rangers have cast doubt on the validity of the documents.

A club statement said: "Mr Green is appalled by this blatant attempt to discredit him.These documents are not correct or valid and he did not sign Craig Whyte or his associate on as directors of Sevco 5088.

"Mr Green was the sole director of Sevco 5088 until he resigned and became the founder director of Sevco Scotland, formed by Scottish solicitors."

The revelations are the latest in the dispute between the former Rangers owner and the current chief of the club.

The directorial appointment forms, which have been filed several months late, show the signatures of the former Sheffield United chief executive, alongside those of Mr Whyte and Mr Earley. It is claimed the forms were signed during a meeting in London on May 9, 2012, three days before Duff and Phelps signed an offer letter with Sevco 5088 in a £5.5m deal for the club’s assets.

The Rangers statement added: "If this documentation was correct then, as Sevco 5088 was formed as the initial bid vehicle, the administrators would have been negotiating a sale of the club to a company which had a director who was clearly forbidden from being involved with it.

"Furthermore, it should strike people as deeply suspicious that these documents are being filed today 11 months after they were supposedly signed and on other documents Mr Green’s home address has been mysteriously changed without his knowledge.

"Furthermore, notice was filed publicly in January this year by Field Fisher Waterhouse and is on record at Companies House company seeking to strike off the company, yet four months later directors appointments are now being supposedly filed."

According to records at Companies House, Sevco 5088 was created as an off-the-shelf company by a Cardiff-based secretarial firm on March 29, over a month after Rangers were put into administration on February 14.

The appointment forms for the company, which is registered to the address of London legal firm Field Fisher Waterhouse, were lodged with Companies House on Friday.

Companies House confirmed the documents had been accepted but had not yet been scanned in to be made available on its website.

Legal action

The documents are believed to make up part of Mr Whyte’s legal action against Mr Green, his associate Imran Ahmad and Rangers, as the former owner claims they acted as a "front" for him during the buyout of the club’s assets after a company voluntary arrangement (CVA) failed last summer.

Mr Green has denied the claims and stated that the club would be handed a file on Mr Whyte and Mr Earley’s conduct to Police Scotland.

In an interview with STV this week, Mr Green said, when asked about Mr Whyte and Mr Earley’s involvement in Sevco 5088: "Neither of them had a role in Sevco 5088. That was a company formed by Field Fisher Waterhouse for the purpose of acquiring Rangers.

"Of course, what everyone knows, in the ensuing weeks, as the model unfolded, Sevco Scotland acquired Rangers, not Sevco 5088.

"The company that was originally formed was not required and was handed back to Craig Whyte."

Mr Green also stated that he was the first shareholder and the company was used to "start the process of negotiating with Duff and Phelps".

Mr Whyte claims that he and Mr Earley were the men behind Sevco 5088, which Duff and Phelps identified in the CVA proposal on May 29 had been granted "exclusivity to complete a takeover of the company or a purchase of the company‘s business and assets by 30 July 2012. Sevco [5088] made a payment of £200,000 to the company for such exclusivity."

Recordings of the meeting between the three men on May 9 last year, obtained and released by STV, showed Mr Green asking Mr Whyte for £25,000 to pay legal fees to Field Fisher Waterhouse in relation to the creation and running of Sevco 5088.

Mr Green told STV he had asked for the cash and a £25,000 cheque from a business account associated with Mr Earley was deposited in his account on May 11, but bounced on May 14. However, STV has seen evidence that suggests the money was paid out and cleared from Mr Earley’s account on May 15, 2012.

During the meeting when the appointment forms were signed by Mr Green, who was appointed a director of Sevco 5088 four days earlier, the current chief executive is heard in recordings released by The Scottish Sun saying to Mr Whyte: "You are Sevco".

Police report

The current Ibrox chief executive also signed off a proposal to strike off and dissolve Sevco 5088 on December 27 last year, although it has not been dissolved.

Companies House confirmed that as a result of the appointment filings on Friday, the move to dissolve the entity had been put on hold for a period of six to eight weeks.

The winding up move for Sevco 5088 by Mr Green came 15 days after Mr Whyte’s legal representatives had sent him and Rangers a letter warning of legal action, accusing the Yorkshireman’s consortium of "deception" and "unjust enrichment" during the buyout of the club’s assets.

On Tuesday, Rangers released a statement which said that following a meeting with the club’s lawyers, Biggart Baillie, and its security team, it would be submitting a file to Police Scotland "asking that they investigate claims made by Aidan Earley and Craig Whyte."

The club’s English lawyers Allen & Overy have written to Mr Whyte and Mr Earley over the claims.

IN DETAIL: Charles Green's response to STV's story in relation to Sevco 5088 appointment forms

An excerpt from the form appointing Craig Whyte as a director of Sevco 5088 Limited

Sevco 5088 director appointment of Craig Whyte on May 9, 2012

Craig Whyte's signature accompanied by that of Charles Green on the Sevco 5088 appointment form

Craig Whyte's signature accompanied by that of Charles Green on the Sevco 5088 appointment form

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