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THE BBC have been hit with a £3million libel writ by the men who handled the Rangers takeover.

Three top accountants from Duff and Phelps have personally filed papers seeking damages over an expose of the controversial sale of the club to Craig Whyte in 2011.

David Grier, Paul Clark and David Whitehouse lodged the defamation writ at Glasgow Sheriff Court – the same court which will host a criminal trial centred on their handling of the Rangers administration.

The trio’s role was called into question by the BBC Scotland documentary, Rangers: The Men Who Sold The Jerseys.

The programme, presented by Mark Daly, made serious allegations about Duff and Phelps partner Grier and his role in Whyte’s takeover of Rangers, where Whyte used funds raised from ticketing firm Ticketus.

Daly is personally named in the writ, along with the BBC and an expert witness who appeared on the programme in May 2012.

It was shown 12 months after Whyte officially bought the club, and just three months after it plunged into insolvency in February 2012.

(Image: SNS)

Whyte bought Rangers from Sir David Murray for £1 and paid an £18million debt to Lloyds Bank by selling three years of season tickets to Ticketus for £25million. The Daily Record revealed the Ticketus deal.

As well as being involved in Whyte’s takeover, Duff and Phelps were appointed as Rangers’ administrators after the club’s finances went into meltdown following the sale.

The documentary also raised questions over whether it was appropriate for Duff and Phelps to accept the appointment as administrators, given the nature of the firm’s relationship with Whyte.

Duff and Phelps threatened to sue in 2012 but no writ was forthcoming. The three employees served their writ in May this year.

But shortly after it was served at the BBC’s HQ in Glasgow, the writ was “sisted” by Grier, Whitehouse and Clark. That means it was put on the back burner so no hearings would take place before any criminal trial ends.

(Image: BBC)

A legal insider said: “The action was promised but it went very quiet until the writ appeared, which came within days of the third anniversary of the documentary’s screening.

“It may be that the pursuers feel they have a strong case and can win serious damages. They may be seeking an out- of-court settlement, or they may wish to be seen to be challenging the very serious allegations in the programme.

“Cases that are sisted fall into different categories. Some have good reason to be put on hold and others are simply being kicked into the long grass. We will have to wait and se what category this falls into.”

In the immediate aftermath of the 2012 documentary, David Grier issued a statement denying he was aware of the Ticketus claims.

He said: “I categorically deny that at the time of the Craig Whyte takeover of Rangers, I had any knowledge that funds from Ticketus were being used to acquire the club.

‘This accusation is wrong, highly defamatory and betrays a lack of understanding of the facts.”

Craig Whyte is due to stand trial alongside the Duff and Phelps trio and solicitor Gary Withey later this year.

Clark and Whitehouse were appointed joint administrators of Rangers on Valentine’s Day 2012, after the club failed to meet PAYE and VAT demands of around £9million owed to Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs.

An earlier investigation into whether they should have taken on the role was quashed by the Insolvency Practitioners Association.

Whyte was released on bail in November at Glasgow Sheriff Court, where he is accused of fraudulently plotting to take over at Ibrox.

He faces a string of charges including claims that he failed to pay VAT and national insurance at the club. Whitehouse, Clark and Grier face charges of attempting to pervert the course of justice.

The BBC yesterday confirmed that the writ from Clark, Whitehouse and Grier had been served. A spokesman said: “We stand by our journalism and the action will be robustly defended.”

A spokesman for Duff and Phelps said: “Duff and Phelps is not a party in this action and therefore we have no comment.”