Independence campaigner David Henry has said TV detective Columbo would not be needed to show £1.5m is missing from Yes Scotland coffers, after he was interviewed by police for two hours. Henry claimed there is a “massive hole” in the 2014 referendum group’s finances.
Sean Clerkin, who attended Fettes police station alongside Henry, insisted police said there are “unanswered questions” over their claims. The allegation of missing money has been flatly denied by Yes Scotland.
Background of the Allegations
The claims come after former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell was jailed last month for embezzling over £400,000 of SNP funds between 2010 and 2022, a period that included the 2014 independence referendum. Attention has now shifted to Yes Scotland Ltd, the official pro-independence group that campaigned for the 2014 vote. Although legally separate from the SNP, both were heavily linked, and claims have been made that Murrell controlled the group.
Henry, a former SNP branch secretary, recently analysed official accounts and claimed £1.5m of Yes Scotland cash relating to the referendum was missing. After the police interview on Tuesday, Henry and Clerkin gave a joint press conference.
Evidence Handed to Police
Henry said he handed in “detailed evidence” to detectives, including email exchanges and Yes Scotland documents already in the public domain. On top of the £1.5m claim, he raised questions about what happened to a £3.5m donation by the Weir family to Yes Scotland during the referendum and called for scrutiny of an £825,000 bailout from the SNP.
The 61-year-old also claimed there are questions on whether Yes Scotland breached official spending limits. “The bottom line is it doesn’t add up,” he said. “We need all the accounts opened up.” He added: “You do not have to be Columbo to spot the unaccountable sums of money.”
Police Response and Timeline
Clerkin, who made the original police complaint that led to Murrell’s jailing, said police told him it would take up to four weeks to assess the information. He said officers informed him there were a “lot of unanswered questions” during the interview. “There is a massive cover up going on and we are trying to challenge it,” he said.
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Information has been received and it is being assessed.”
Denial from Yes Scotland
A lawyer for former Yes Scotland chief executive Blair Jenkins said the allegations were false and that all income received by Yes Scotland had been accounted for. “This story was based on a very basic misunderstanding of accounts and Yes Scotland's financial statements,” Jenkins' solicitor Aamer Anwar said. “All of the income received by Yes Scotland is fully accounted for and it is grossly defamatory to say otherwise.”
Anwar added: “There appears to have been a desperate attempt to link Peter Murrell's criminal conduct in the SNP to the financial affairs of Yes Scotland. To make it perfectly clear, Mr Murrell never at any time had access to Yes Scotland's accounts.”
Financial Breakdown
According to Anwar, full sets of Yes Scotland accounts for 2013, 2014 and 2015 were voluntarily provided to Police Scotland on 13 July. “To be clear, there is no 'missing' £1.5m,” he said. “But what is missing is any explanation as to why it did not occur to those making the allegations that the £1.5m represents spending by the campaign.”
Yes Scotland received donations totalling £2,403,976 in 2013, with these identified as “other income” in the accounts. The group had a year-end surplus of £878,978, after operating costs of £1,535,855. These costs included salaries, the Glasgow headquarters, and campaign events. Anwar said: “A balance sheet surplus of £878,978 and income of £2,403,976 doesn’t mean that over £1.5 million had gone missing or been stolen, rather that Yes Scotland’s operating costs were about £1.5 million in 2012-13.”
