The Takeover Panel of the City of London has defeated Dave King in court again, and this time a judge has agreed that he should face a contempt of court charge in relation to his refusal to comply with various orders they’ve made regarding his purchase of the club.
This battle has been going on for months. It’s been over for more than a year.
The Takeover Panel has won every single round against the Ibrox chairman and yet every single time they have ordered him to comply he has come up with an excuse not to. Those excuses have been tossed out by the courts over and over again, and the Takeover Panel has initiated contempt proceedings against him.
That’s what it’s going to take to get him to toe the line.
The Takeover Panel raised its case against King within months of his takeover of the club.
Their investigation was opened in late 2014. That it’s still rumbling on is astounding, especially as it should have been over when they heard, and rejected, his appeal against their verdict that he and other directors had acted “in concert” when they purchased more than 30% of the club’s shares. In spite of having no further escape from the inevitable sanctions he appealed the decision citing the Panel’s legal right to challenge him.
They have beaten back everything he’s come up with since.
The media continues to portray this as if it’s a “long running legal dispute” when in fact it’s nothing of the sort. King’s refusal to do as he’s told means he’s openly thumbing his nose at the law. His excuses have been brushed aside by the judges again and again and again. Only now, with his neck in the noose, might he actually do what they want.
But don’t bet on it.
This looks like going the whole road now.
Even if he were suddenly to comply, that would make the contempt case against him look even more solid.
King cannot escape from this.
All that awaits him are the consequences … and then we’ll see what the SFA’s “fit and proper person” regulations are actually worth.
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