In his opening speech, John Black QC told the jury that Redknapp’s account about the Monaco payments differed from that of Mandaric. “Those explanations, the Crown say, are contradictory, inconsistent and lack credibility,” Black said. He went on to say that “at the heart of the Crown’s case is the fact that no tax was paid.”
The jury was also asked to consider whether it was “credible that Mr Redknapp remained blissfully unaware” of the payments into the Monaco account and also to consider that, having been told he had lost most of this money after bad investments by Mandaric, that Redknapp “simply laughed about it and decided to forget about it all”.
In evidence given by Nigel Layton, the former managing director of Quest, it was disclosed that it was during interviews with Quest’s investigators that Redknapp first revealed the existence of an offshore account, in Monaco, under the name Rosie 47. Quest had been instructed by the Premier League to investigate any irregularities in players transfers between Jan 1, 2004, and Jan 31, 2006. As part of their investigations, Layton told the court that his team had a meeting with Mandaric, chief executive Peter Storrie and manager Redknapp on May 3, 2006, at which subsequent interviews were arranged.
As part of an interview in November 2006, Redknapp was asked whether he had any offshore accounts — this, Layton said, was standard practice in all their interviews with managers and club executives — in answer to which Redknapp voluntarily disclosed the existence of the Monaco account.
Layton said that Quest “had powers to compel details about transfers between clubs but no powers to compel people to disclose personal information”. He went on to say that “the vast majority of chief executives and managers, and some agents, provide their details”.
Having seen Redknapp’s account details – and also received a faxed letter from Mandaric – sent in November 2006 and saying Redknapp had been rewarded for “football success”, clarifying why he had made payments to this account, Layton said Quest did not take further action or inform the Inland Revenue but did pass on information to the police.
The jury also heard tape recordings of telephone conversations between Rob Beasley, a former News of the World journalist who investigated the case in 2009. In a conversation on the Friday before the 2009 Carling Cup final, Redknapp angrily denied having done anything wrong and threatened legal action against the paper. Redknapp said to Beasley: “I know what’s happening Rob and you’re all barking up the wrong tree. If you say that the tax hasn’t been declared and it hasn’t been paid I will sue the b------- off you.” Later in the same conversation Redknapp also made it clear that Quest only knew about the payments from Mandaric because he told them.
Beasley told jurors that he had paid his initial source £8,000 for the story and said that it was “absolutely not” a member of City of London Police or HM Revenue and Customs. Beasley told jurors he used “flattery, friendship... and a little bit of kidology” in his conversations with Redknapp and Mandaric. The trial continues.