Fresh questions have been raised over whether taxpayers’ money may have been included in funds embezzled by former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell.
The issue has emerged after remarks made during Murrell’s narrative hearing prompted calls for clarification on the source of the money involved.
The Scottish Conservatives have now submitted an urgent question to the Scottish Parliament seeking a response from the Scottish Government.
The party argues that the public deserves a clear answer on whether any public funds formed part of the money embezzled.
The move follows comments made by the Advocate Depute during proceedings which reportedly stated that the funds involved came principally from membership fees, donations and legacies held within the party’s main bank account.
Scottish Conservative MSP Miles Briggs has called for further clarification and says the matter should be addressed publicly.
Miles Briggs said:
“Scottish taxpayers deserve to know definitively whether their hard-earned cash was stolen by Peter Murrell.
“It seems from the advocate depute’s comments yesterday, and John Swinney’s slippery response when asked, that it wasn’t just SNP supporters’ cash that Murrell pilfered to pay for the luxury goods he and Nicola Sturgeon enjoyed.
“I hope the presiding officer will select the urgent question I’ve submitted because ordinary Scots deserve answers, not the usual SNP stonewalling.
“The case for a parliamentary inquiry into this huge SNP scandal is growing more compelling by the day.
“In a matter of days, Swinney has shifted from saying the SNP’s financial safeguards were fine to admitting that they were inadequate and yet he turned on a journalist who pointed out his U-turn.
“We need to know why Swinney and Sturgeon tried to silence whistleblowers who raised questions over the party’s finances in 2021, because their attempts to sweep things under the carpet enabled Murrell to continue embezzling money after Operation Branchform was launched.”
The urgent question submitted by Mr Briggs asks the Scottish Government for its response to reports that taxpayers’ money may have been included within the funds embezzled by Murrell.
The issue follows previous comments by First Minister John Swinney, who told the Scottish Parliament that it was SNP supporters’ money that had been embezzled and not public money.
The matter is likely to remain the subject of political debate as further scrutiny continues over the circumstances surrounding the case and the wider questions being raised about party finances and governance.
