John Swinney has been urged to clarify whether disgraced former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell had access to millions of pounds of public money allocated to the party. Scottish Labour's Jackie Baillie has demanded transparency regarding Murrell's control over funds provided by the Electoral Commission or Westminster.
Murrell, the estranged husband of Nicola Sturgeon, faces imprisonment after confessing to embezzling over £400,000 from SNP funds during a twelve-year crime spree as CEO. The stolen money came primarily from the SNP bank account he managed, along with misuse of party charge cards. While prosecutors indicate the cash originated mainly from SNP members, donors, and legacies, Labour seeks to determine if public funds were involved.
During Murrell's tenure, the SNP at Westminster received over £8 million in Short Money to support their opposition role, and over £2 million in policy development grants from the Electoral Commission. In her letter to the First Minister, Baillie emphasized the need for honesty: 'While you may think you can dig your heels in and hope that questions stop being asked, it is the case that there are still major concerns which need to be addressed.'
She further questioned whether the SNP maintains multiple bank accounts and if Murrell had access to any accounts receiving public money. 'It is imperative that you today clarify whether Peter Murrell had access to any of this money, or access to any bank accounts associated with the SNP Westminster Group during his tenure as SNP chief executive,' she added. 'The possibility of Peter Murrell having had access to further sources of public money is of great concern and has significant implications.'
Labour plans to force a vote today on establishing a Holyrood inquiry into the Murrell scandal, though the move is expected to fail with opposition from the SNP and Greens. Meanwhile, Westminster's Scottish Affairs Committee is preparing to launch its own inquiry into any public money aspects of the case.
A spokesperson for the Electoral Commission stated: 'Parties have to report on their use of policy development grants and have that grant expenditure independently audited. The Commission checks that the grant is spent correctly. The SNP have provided those audits, we have checked them, and we have seen no evidence of misuse of policy development grant funds. The evidence shows that the SNP spent its policy development grants on eligible costs, mostly SNP staff salaries. If there is evidence of any misuse, the Commission will take appropriate action to safeguard public money.'
