Sergei Fedotov, who has been jailed in Russia over an embezzlement conviction, is the target of the Crown Office’s Civil Recovery Unit.

It is seeking a court order to stop Mr Fedotov from disposing of property in his name.

He bought the 16th-century Castle Grant and its 35 acres of grounds in 2014 after it was repossessed from Mr Whyte, the one-time Rangers owner.

Asked about the property by the Russian newspaper Vedomosti in 2015, he said: “It mostly interests me from the cultural and historical perspective. I reckon that its restoration will be of huge interest to historians and archaeologists not just in Scotland but in our country too.”

Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain said: “Since the Civil Recovery Unit was established 20 years ago the unit has regularly had success in disrupting and dismantling serious and organised crime. This work has been carried out in collaboration with Police Scotland, HMRC, the DWP and other agencies as part of the Serious Organised Crime Taskforce.

“The work of the Civil Recovery Unit continues to expand and evolve as new legislation and investigative tools extends powers in civil recovery. I am confident that as the methods criminals use evolve the unit will, too.

“The Civil Recovery Unit has a long history of finding innovative ways in which to use the flexibility of POCA legislation to seize money, assets and property from serious criminals and disrupt the ability of criminal enterprises to function.”