by Bill Heaney
The Scottish Conservatives have today (Sunday) outlined 13 of the key questions that an inquiry into the Peter Murrell scandal should answer.
The Scottish Affairs Committee is considering an inquiry into the failures of internal governance that enabled the SNP chief executive to steal at least £400,000 after John Swinney’s party and the Scottish Greens closed ranks to block one at Holyrood.
Any inquiry must examine a range of connected issues relating to various public bodies and taxpayers’ money.
Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay says it’s vital that the following issues are addressed by that inquiry:
- Why was Peter Murrell the only person prosecuted over Operation Branchform?
- What was Police Scotland and the National Crime Agency’s view on Nicola Sturgeon not being prosecuted?
- Did Murrell steal any of the £10million of public money received by the SNP?
- What were the terms of Murrell’s plea deal that saw £60,000-worth of items wiped from his charge sheet?
- Why was Murrell allowed to plead guilty just after the Scottish election?
- Did Murrell and Sturgeon discuss the terms and timing of his plea deal when they met at Easter?
- Why was wealthy Murrell granted legal aid when it was known that he part-owned a villa in Portugal?
- Why was there no prosecution over the missing £600,000 raised by the SNP for a ring-fenced independence campaign?
- Did Murrell accept a £50,000 donation to the SNP from a businessman in return for a relative being given a safe seat as an MP?
- Will Sturgeon release the written statement she gave to the police after her “no comment” interview?
- Will Sturgeon disclose and surrender all items she received from Murrell bought with stolen money?
- Did Police Scotland search for Sturgeon’s DNA inside the stolen campervan that she says she did not see?
- To what extent did the assurances of John Swinney and Sturgeon about the SNP finances enable Murrell’s crimes?
“He’s doing everything possible to block a parliamentary inquiry because he’s terrified of what it will find out – including how he helped to enable Peter Murrell’s crime spree by assuring SNP members that the finances were sound.
“A full and fearless inquiry is critical, and that’s why I’m setting out 13 of the many unanswered questions that it should address.
“Everyone knows that Swinney is too weak to do the right thing because he’s unable to stand up to Nicola Sturgeon.”