Tommy Sheridan, a reviled socialist firebrand, was declared bankrupt after making fruitless attempts to establish his innocence as a victim of injustice.
The former MSP, who was imprisoned for lying, may have his income and assets confiscated in order to pay back an over £80,000 legal cost.
The bankruptcy is the most recent chapter in a remarkable story that has already seen obscene allegations of swingers’ parties, kinky sex, and adulterous relationships made in Scotland’s highest courts.
Sheridan was sentenced for perjury after sensationally winning a defamation case against the News of the World.
The former MSP, who was imprisoned for lying, may have his assets and income confiscated in order to pay a court judgment that totals more than £80,000.
According to official records, 58-year-old Sheridan has been listed as bankrupt, and a trustee has been appointed to manage his money and see that as much of the debt as possible is paid back.
Sheridan, a colorful and divisive character in Scottish politics from the late 1980s to the early 2000s, resides in the south of Glasgow with his wife Gail.
He was a vocal opponent of the poll tax and was well-known for his loud voice and propensity for sunbathing.
In the inaugural Holyrood elections in 1999, he was chosen as the party’s lone MSP.
The News of the World published articles in 2004 and 2005 alleging Sheridan had gone to swinger clubs and strayed on his wife. Sheridan responded by filing a slander lawsuit.
Sheridan allegedly attended a swingers’ club, engaged in bondage, and ingested cocaine, according to testimony in the trial that followed.
He was a well-known opponent of the poll tax and was known for his loud voice and regular use of sunbeds.
The jury determined that Sheridan’s image as a family man had been harmed by the newspaper’s assertions, and they awarded him £200,000 in damages.
After the News of the World claimed to have a tape that showed Sheridan had lied, police eventually launched a criminal inquiry.
A jury determined in 2010 that Sheridan had lied and had gone to a swingers’ club. When he was freed from jail the next year, Mrs. Sheridan was there to greet him.