Pro-independence activist David Henry will meet detectives tomorrow to hand over documents alleging that £1.5 million went missing from the accounts of the 2014 Yes Scotland campaign. The interview will take place at Fettes police station in Edinburgh.
Background of the Complaint
The complaint comes after former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell was jailed last month for stealing over £400,000 from his party. Murrell, who was married to former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, pleaded guilty and received a five-year and three-month sentence. Police have since received a new complaint regarding £1.5 million linked to Yes Scotland, a campaign closely tied to the SNP and bailed out by the party.
Details of the Allegations
Henry, a former SNP branch secretary, will be accompanied by fellow activist Sean Clerkin, who previously filed the police complaint that led to Murrell's conviction. They plan to hold a press conference after the interview at around 2pm. Clerkin stated: “David is the complainer and I will be there to support him. I have had many dealings with the police and I know how it works. It is a two hour interview.”
Henry's complaint focuses on a note in Yes Scotland's 2014 accounts, which stated that deferred income as of April 30, 2013, was reduced from £878,978 to nil, and other income increased by the same amount, from £1,524,998 to £2,403,976. Henry claims this £1.5 million is unaccounted for, with no other income declared in subsequent accounts.
Further Concerns
Henry told the Sunday Mail: “The numbers don’t match up anywhere and there are a host of other anomalies identified in my evidence and major corrections appeared in the 2015 accounts. Nothing adds up. The Yes campaign took in millions in donations but from 2016 dormant accounts have been submitted with zero balances; the money is just gone. Given what we now know about Peter Murrell’s crimes, there are strong reasons to be suspicious of the finances of any organisation linked to the SNP. Police Scotland must open a new investigation and fully audit Yes Scotland’s books to find out what happened to the missing £1.5million.”
Additionally, Ian Dommett, Yes Scotland's marketing director until January 2014, claimed that Murrell controlled high-value donations intended for the campaign. Dommett told the Sunday Mail he could not do anything during his time that “wasn’t under Murrell’s control.”
