FORMER Rangers owner Craig Whyte has lost the latest round of a High Court fight with a ticket-buying firm.

Whyte appealed after being ordered to pay more than £17 million to Ticketus earlier this year.

As reported in later editions of yesterday's Evening Times, Judge Halpern yesterday dismissed his appeal and suggested Whyte had been over-optimistic.

He said Whyte must pay all the legal costs of the appeal - a sum thought to total tens of thousands of pounds.

Ticketus said Whyte fraudulently or negligently made representations which induced the company to enter into agreements related to the sale or purchase of Rangers season tickets, and claimed damages.

He disputed the claim.

But in April the High Court in London ruled against Whyte prior to a trial after Ticketus argued that the former Rangers boss had "no real prospect" of mounting a successful defence.

It ordered Whyte to pay £17.6 million.

Whyte's lawyers appealed and argued that the decision to grant a "summary judgment" had been unfair.

They said the case should be allowed to go to trial and said Mr Whyte had a "realistic" defence.

Judge Halpern heard evidence and legal argument at the High Court in London in November.

In his ruling yesterday, Judge Halpern said Whyte must pay all the legal costs of the appeal.

The judgment came as hundreds of Rangers fans were due at Ibrox today for the powderkeg AGM - billed as the most important in the club's history.

It will decide whether the current board win its battle to retain power at Ibrox.