Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain and Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay.
by Bill Heaney
The Scottish Conservatives have renewed their call for the Crown Office to publish the reasons why no charges were brought against Nicola Sturgeon over Operation Branchform, after John Swinney ignored their request in parliament yesterday.
The party has published a Freedom of Information response it received last May, in which the Crown Office refused to explain its reasoning for not prosecuting Sturgeon, because a criminal case was ongoing.
But that case concluded with her estranged husband, Peter Murrell’s guilty plea on Monday to embezzling more than £400,000 of SNP party funds.
As a result, Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay insists the Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain, who resigned her post just recently, is now duty-bound to disclose the rationale for not charging Sturgeon.
The former First Minister benefited from her husband’s lavish spending spree on cars, luxury household goods, and jewellery, but has claimed that she never suspected him of any wrongdoing.
Findlay said the “epic SNP scandal” had damaged public trust in the justice system and that full transparency was needed to repair it.
Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay said: “Faith in the integrity of Scotland’s justice system has been shattered by this epic SNP scandal, which reaches into the heart of government.
“Senior SNP figures publicly tried to exert undue influence on Police Scotland, so was there any other meddling behind the scenes?
“And the Lord Advocate, appointed by Nicola Sturgeon, was passing sensitive information to John Swinney while the public was kept in the dark.
“The Lord Advocate has a duty to publish the reasons why only one person was prosecuted and whether Police Scotland agreed with that decision.
“An explanation should also be provided about the timing of this case, which spanned five years yet ended with a guilty plea just after the election, to the SNP’s clear advantage.
“The reason given for blocking Scottish Conservative efforts to disclose this information a year ago no longer applies. To repair public confidence in Scottish justice, it’s time for full transparency.”