Rangers crisis: Ibrox company secretary Gary Withey resigns from firm Collyer Bristow

THE company secretary of Rangers has resigned from the law firm which advised Craig Whyte on his controversial takeover of the club, it was confirmed yesterday.

Gary Withey, who was a partner at Collyer Bristow and a member of the firm’s insolvency team, left the London-based outfit for “family and personal reasons”.

Paul Newhall, business development director at the firm, confirmed to The Scotsman that Withey had stepped down from Collyer Bristow on 2 March. It is understood he had been absent from work on sick leave in the period prior to his resignation.

Duff and Phelps, who are acting as administrators for the financially stricken club, have been attempting to contact Withey to discuss the club’s financial situation, but have been unable to get hold of him.

Withey, who was named as one of The Lawyer magazine’s Hot 100 Lawyers for 2010, was not involved in the day-to-day running of Rangers under Whyte’s stewardship. However, he was involved in the takeover process, and attended negotiations held by Whyte in Edinburgh during the purchase of the club.

Withey was also part of the group of associates who joined Whyte in a high-profile walk to the main entrance at Ibrox before a league match against Hearts in May last year, not long after Whyte had completed his takeover.

Withey replaced former Ibrox director Donald McIntyre as company secretary as part of a boardroom shake-up at the club last May.

Controversy continues to surround the role played by Collyer Bristow in recent events surrounding the club. Last week, Duff and Phelps won an emergency court order at the High Court of London to seize £3.6m held in an account of the law firm. On Thursday they will ask a high court judge to release the funds to them.

Paul Clark, the joint administrator for Duff and Phelps, also said that Collyer Bristow will also disclose to Taylor Wessing - a law firm acting on behalf of the administrators - details of the payments of funds out of their account on behalf of the club since Whyte became the majority shareholder at Rangers.

Money from the contentious sale of season tickets to Ticketus, thought to be around £24m, was transferred to Collyer Bristow before Whyte’s takeover. Of that, £18m was used to pay off debts owed to Lloyds Banking Group.

Withey’s brief biographical details had been removed from the Collyer Bristow website by last night.

Previously, the page had quoted Withey as saying: “My work involves helping companies and people achieve their aims and ambitions, be that a fundraising for, or a sale or flotation of their company.” He also stated: “Clients come to me because they know I will make the deal happen for them.”