An independent inquiry into the Peter Murrell scandal would be in the SNP's "long term interests", a former Yes campaign chief has claimed.
Dennis Canavan voices concerns
Dennis Canavan said there remained "many unanswered questions" over how Nicola Sturgeon's estranged husband was able to embezzle more than £400,000 from the party. The former Labour MP, who was a senior figure in the 2014 cross-party campaign for independence, said it "beggars belief how one person could embezzle nearly half a million pounds over more than a decade without anyone else knowing".
Canavan, who spent 33 years as a parliamentarian at Westminster and Holyrood, told the Record he supported the creation of an independent inquiry led by a senior KC "with no political affiliation" to scrutinise the timing of Murrell's court appearance last month.
Background of the case
The former SNP CEO was originally due in court in February but the hearing was postponed until after the Holyrood election following a request by his defence team to be allowed more time to prepare. It comes after SNP and Green MSPs this week voted down a Labour motion calling for a Holyrood inquiry into the affair.
Canavan said: "The Scottish Government seems to be arguing that an inquiry is unnecessary because the police have already investigated the matter. But the police investigation was concerned mainly or exclusively with criminality and there are many other unanswered questions relating to the governance of the SNP and the inadequate accountability of the leadership to the membership."
He added: "It beggars belief how one person could embezzle nearly half a million pounds over more than a decade without anyone else knowing and how members who questioned the party's finances were apparently shut down."
Call for independent inquiry
Canavan further stated: "I do not think that the best way forward would be for rival politicians to be conducting an inquiry into another political party. Such an inquiry would lack credibility because it would inevitably be tainted with political bias and allegations of political point scoring. A better way forward would be an independent inquiry headed by a senior KC with no political affiliation."
He suggested such an inquiry could also consider whether the Crown Office had any role in postponing the Peter Murrell court hearing until after the Scottish Parliamentary elections, and whether the Lord Advocate should continue to be the Head of the Crown Prosecution service, as well as a member of the Scottish Government. "Such an anachronism should have no place in a modern 21st century democracy. I have long held the belief that the two roles are incompatible because of the potential conflict of interest."
Canavan concluded: "I have never been a member of the SNP but I honestly think it would be in the SNP's long term interests to have such matters investigated by a leading KC with no political affiliation."
Government response
SNP minister Ivan McKee today insisted an inquiry was not needed and instead backed Green calls for a review into how all political parties are funded. McKee said: "The SNP are the victims here, it's important to recognise that, and the motion that was passed yesterday which we supported, brought forward by the Greens, was for an inquiry into all political parties."
He added: "What we are focused on is making sure that the governance we've got in place now delivers what it needs to, which it is doing, and taking part in the inquiry that Parliament voted for yesterday, into all political parties, which I think is a correct way to approach this."
