Money launderers targeted football club owner

From left, Mohammed Aziz, Alistair Blackwood, Robert Ferguson , David Lyons and Ian Robertson

Five men have been convicted of money laundering offences which included hacking the bank account of a football club owner.

The unnamed multi-millionaire had almost £1m taken from his account, a court heard.

In total, almost £1.5m of "dirty money" was channelled through Ian Robertson's law firm in Paisley, the High Court in Glasgow was told.

Robertson and four other men denied the charges but were found guilty.

The former lawyer had claimed he had been duped and his law firm targeted by criminals.

The trial was sparked after a Law Society of Scotland probe into the Robertson and Ross legal firm in Causeyside Street, Paisley.

The case centred on four separate transactions, with the largest involving the football club owner.

The court was told that £985,000 of the businessman's money ended up in a client account of Robertson's firm.

The businessman gave no authorisation for the transfer, and only became aware of it when he was contacted by his bank's fraud team.

Other transactions involved a £79,340 cheque due to be paid to a law firm in Jersey, and fraudulent property transactions.

Prosecutor Mr Cameron told the court: "Robertson's part in this was plain.

"He had access to the client account ...and pay out to others all while making it seem transactions were legitimate."

Robertson, 69, and David Lyons, 71, both of Kilmacolm, Inverclyde, as well as Mohammed Aziz, 61, of Glasgow's Partick, were convicted of a charge of being involved in serious organised crime.

The trio, along with Alistair Blackwood, 68, of Dunlop, East Ayrshire and Robert Ferguson, 67, of Thornliebank, East Renfrewshire, were also found guilty of charges under the Proceeds of Crime Act, which took place between 2015 and 2016.

All five were remanded in custody and will be sentenced in the new year.