A FORMER administrator of Rangers has commenced a £2 million damages action against Police Scotland over its allegedly unlawful investigation into his activities at the club.

Businessman David Grier,57, claims detectives disregarded legal procedures when he was arrested in 2014 in connection with the Glasgow club's sale two years earlier.

Officers suspected Mr Grier, of London, had broken the law during the sale of the Ibrox side.

But Mr Grier and his co-accused - David Whitehouse, Craig Whyte, Charles Green, Gary Withey, Paul Clark and Imran Ahmad - were later cleared of any wrongdoing.

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Now Mr Grier has instructed lawyers to sue Police Scotland at the country's highest civil court - the Court of Session in Edinburgh.

On Friday, during a short hearing at the court, judge Lord Bannatyne arranged for a procedural hearing to take place next month. Lawyers will present submissions to the judge on that date.

Lord Bannatyne said: "I'm going to fix a procedural hearing in this case in about three to four weeks time. We will discuss a number of things at this hearing.

"I will fix a procedural hearing to take place at midday on July 12."

Prosecutors had alleged that Mr Grier, Mr Withey and Mr Whyte had participated in criminal behaviour during their involvement with Rangers.

The three men became involved with the side following David Murray's decision to sell to Whyte in May 2011.

Withey, of Woking, Surrey, was a former partner at Collyer Bristow - the London based law firm who advised Mr Whyte.

Mr Grier worked for Duff & Phelps, the company who were appointed administrators of Rangers.

The trio was later cleared of any wrongdoing. However, prosecutors launched an appeal against the decision to clear them.

In June 2017, Scotland's most senior judge Lord Carloway wrote a judgement in which he explained the reasons why prosecutors failed in their appeal.

Lord Carloway said that the Crown had "formed an erroneous view of the law". He said that prosecutors had seized "legally privileged" material from the men's lawyers.

Lord Carloway said that the police shouldn't have seized the material as it breached the law.

He wrote: "It is a factor in favour of the Crown that they were not acting in bad faith but only upon first a misconception of the law and secondly latterly pure carelessness.

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"Nevertheless, the level of illegality is such that it can neither be condoned or countenanced notwithstanding the relatively serious nature of the charge."

Earlier this week, Mr Grier's colleague at Rangers, David Whitehouse was paid £80,000 compensation after his assets were wrongfully frozen during the investigation into his wrongdoing.

He had been seeking damages from Scotland's most senior prosecutor, the Lord Advocate James Wolffe QC. Mr Whitehouse's lawyers claimed the Crown had no legal right to seize the assets.

The case was also due to be heard at the Court of Session. But the case was settled days before lawyers were due to commence.

In the latest case to the heard at the Court of Session, lawyers are seeking £2 million compensation from the police.

Mr Grier's legal team claim their client is entitled to the sum because of the allegedly "unlawful and malicious conduct" of the police.

Police Scotland are contesting the action and deny any wrongdoing. Their lawyers claim that officers had a reasonable basis of suspecting Mr Grier of illegal activity.

The case will next call next month.