MPs have demanded answers on whether Peter Murrell embezzled public money given to the SNP during his decade-long crime spree. The Scottish Affairs Committee at Westminster has written to the Electoral Commission to seek clarification over what funding was handed to the party during the time of his offending.
Nicola Sturgeon's estranged husband pled guilty to embezzlement at the High Court last month and will be sentenced next week. He fleeced more than £400,000 from the SNP over the space of 12 years, using the cash for a string of purchases including cars, a motorhome and fountain pens.
Tens of millions of pounds in donations and other contributions flowed through the SNP's accounts during the period of the offending, including at least £8m of public money - known as Short money - which is given to all political parties with representation at Westminster. Over £2m was also given to the SNP in policy development grants from the Electoral Commission.
John Swinney has previously downplayed the idea of Murrell having spent public funding and insisted the Electoral Commission had found no issue with the accounts provided to it by the SNP. In her letter to Tom Goldsmith, clerk of the House of Commons, chairwoman of the Scottish Affairs Committee, Patricia Ferguson, has demanded “information regarding the allocation of public funds” and the “protections that exist to ensure their proper use”.
She added: “As you will be aware, there has been speculation that Peter Murrell’s criminal activity may have extended to the embezzlement of short money allocated by the house authorities to the SNP Westminster group.”
The committee has asked for information around the “mechanisms” for distributing the funds and “the safeguards which exist to mitigate the risk of the misuse of Short money”. MPs have also demanded what information Commons authorities require from political parties “in order to be assured that short money is being used as intended”.
The Scottish Affairs Committee has also asked authorities to “confirm how much short money was allocated to the SNP during the period of Peter Murrell’s criminal activity” and if any concerns have been raised about the use of the funds. In a separate letter to the Electoral Commission, the committee has highlighted “speculation that Peter Murrell’s criminal activity may have extended to the embezzlement of policy development grants”.
It adds: “I note that the commission has stated publicly that it has found no evidence of misuse of these funds. I would be grateful if you could set out the amount of funding provided to the SNP over the period during which Peter Murrell’s confirmed offending took place. Additionally, it would assist the committee’s consideration of this matter if you could explain how the commission has satisfied itself that this funding was used appropriately. Given the scale of the offending and the degree of public interest in this matter, I would welcome any reflections you may have on the adequacy of the existing safeguards to prevent the misuse of public funds provided by the Electoral Commission, and whether these are sufficiently robust to prevent abuse of the system, including criminal activity.”
Scottish Labour deputy leader, Jackie Baillie, said: “There are still huge unanswered questions over the Peter Murrell scandal and the implications for public money and public services. I hope the Scottish Affairs Committee are able to get some answers, and we need more transparency from John Swinney and the SNP about this murky affair.”
