Legal Execs Spent £1.5M On Failed Fraud Trial Of Former Rangers Owner Craig Whyte

Legal execs spent more than £1.5M, including £1.1M on staff, on the fraud trial involving former Scottish Premiership side Rangers Owner Craig Whyte, according to the LONDON TIMES. The Crown Office officials also spent an extra £400,000 on "witnesses and external contractors," figures released under freedom of information legislation reveal. A spokesperson said, "The figure is £1,551,011.15. It should be noted that this does not include all costs associated with this investigation and prosecution, many of which have been addressed within the existing budgetary framework and not recorded separately." A jury took "just two hours" to find Whyte not guilty in June, leading to criticism of the move to take him to court. The tally brings the taxpayers' bill for the trial to more than £2M after Whyte received £438,513.55 worth of legal aid for his defense team (LONDON TIMES, 12/18).