Murray Team 'Desperate' For Rangers Deal, Lawyer Says During Craig Whyte Trial

A lawyer who handled Craig Whyte's takeover of Scottish side Rangers said that David Murray's team was "desperate to get the deal over the line," according to the BBC. Gary Withey said that it was the "only deal he had known where the vendor was pushing more than the purchaser." The 52-year-old made the comments during testimony at the trial of Craig Whyte, who is "accused of acquiring the club by fraud." He denied "a charge of fraud and another under the Companies Act." At the time of the deal to sell the club to Whyte in '11, Gary Withey worked for London-based tax specialist Collyer Bristow, which had been recruited by Whyte to "oversee the deal." He told prosecuting QC Alex Prentice that "in contrast to the seller's eagerness to sell the club," Whyte was "not pushing for the deal." Withey told the court that Murray's team "did not seem to care" with regards to the financing for the deal from Whyte (BBC, 5/11).