Ex-Derby execs jailed for fraud

The club owed more than �35m at the time of the deal, jurors heard

Three former directors of Derby County have been jailed for their involvement in a fraudulent takeover of the football club.

Ex-finance director Andrew MacKenzie, 55, from Derby, and former director of football Murdo Mackay, 53, from Fife, both got three-year terms for fraud.

Northampton Crown Court had heard how they and ex-chief executive Jeremy Keith, 41, claimed "secret commission".

Keith received 18 months for falsifying documents during the 2003 takeover.

Panama loan

The 41-year-old, from Abingdon in Oxfordshire, bought the club with MacKenzie and Mackay for £3.

The court heard that the trio claimed "secret commission" of £440,625 after arranging a £15m loan for the cash-strapped Championship club from a Panama-based corporation.

Jurors had been told that the men used the loan as a "carrot" for the club, nicknamed the Rams, convincing administrators to sanction the takeover.

Derby County were struggling in 2003 following their relegation from the Premier League the previous year.

The Pride Park club owed more than £35m and was put into receivership by the Co-op Bank, the court had heard.

The men were all found guilty at previous hearings.

David Lowe, their legal adviser during the takeover, was convicted of helping to launder £81,895 of the £440,625 the trio tried to claim as a brokerage fee.

He was jailed for two years.