THE Middle Eastern tycoon behind a mysterious Rangers investment has broken his silence to hit back at Dave King's suggestion of links to organised crime.
Mazen Houssami, a lawyer based in Beirut, Lebanon, insists he has no links to the criminal underworld and insists he is in sole control of a company with four million shares in the club.
King took to the witness stand in Edinburgh last week to drop the bombshell that four unnamed investors "linked to organised crime and money laundering" had bought into the club.
Houssami has now spoken out to deny that any criminal activity can be traced to Blue Pitch Holdings, a company formed in 2012 to help fund Charles Green's takeover of the club.
The company retains its shares but was stripped of its voting rights by King three years ago over concerns of where the money might be coming from.
However, Houssami says he has sole control of those shares.
Speaking to the Daily Record, he said: "I just love football and I love Rangers.
"That’s why I’m happy today that we are playing very well as this is the most important thing.
"I mean, I didn’t buy the team because I wanted to make a business deal out of it.
"There was a specific time when I was ready to buy a bigger shareholding in the team.
Rangers chairman King is currently in the midst of an ongoing dispute with the Takeover Panel
"But many of the shareholders were reluctant to sell and I understand that because we all love the team.
"I do watch the matches.
"I’m telling you, I’m emotionally connected to this team, not professionally.
"It’s not a business deal for me."
The lawyer insists he is the only person behind Blue Pitch Holdings.
He said: "There are no guys from Blue Pitch, Blue Pitch is one person. Only me.
"I understand there will be suspicion in Scotland because of the storm that was caused by Charles Green.”
READ MORE: Dave King optimistic for Rangers in Sports Direct battle
He added: "I do remember when we bought our shares we had to be screened and scanned by the banking institutions before we could place our subscription."
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