Alex Salmond's Alba party in police finance investigation

The news comes as the party meets for its annual conference - and LBC can also reveal that the Electoral Commission has still not received audited accounts from Alba for the last financial year, breaching an agreed late deadline.

The revealtions are the latest in a series of setbacks for Alba in recent months.

Earlier this year Kenny MacAskill sacked the Salmond-appointed General Secretary Chris McEleney alleging "gross misconduct" - a decision which saw Mr McEleney lodge proceedings with the employment tribunal service for unfair dismissal.

And this month LBC exclusively told how its only MSP in Holyrood, Ash Regan, had quit the party to sit as an independent citing concerns about Alba’s “direction”.

A statement from Police Scotland said the financial issue had been reported to the force by the Alba Party itself on May 26 this year, exactly two months after Kenny MacAskill beat Ash Regan for the leadership of the party.

A spokesman said: "The investigation into this matter is ongoing."

An Alba Party spokesperson told LBC: “A review of Alba Party HQ operations and finances was instigated by Alex Salmond while he was alive as he had concerns with the management of the party.

“This review was undertaken with the full support of the Alba Party NEC.

“Subsequently a number of internal financial and administrative irregularities have come to light. In line with our legal and fiduciary duties these concerns have now been passed to the relevant authorities.

“The party formally reported its concerns to Police Scotland. As there is now a live police investigation we are unable to comment further at this time.”

It is not clear what the “irregularities” involve, nor the timescale in which they are alleged to have occurred.

However there have been no audited accounts for the last financial year lodged with the Electoral Commission - despite the party asking for an extension which was granted until the end of September.

The Commission today told LBC that it had “not yet received the Alba Party's audited Statement of Accounts (SOA), and no further extension is possible to the deadline.

"Once we have received it, we will consider the late submission in line with our enforcement policy.”

Asked if the late submission or any enforcement action would impact on the party’s ability to register candidates for next year’s Holyrood elections, the Commission said: “The deadline for a party to submit their annual renewal is set in law at six months after the deadline for submission of their annual statement of accounts.

“Originally, the party was due to submit their annual renewal to the Electoral Commission by 7 January 2026. However, as the party requested to extend the deadline for their SOA to 30 September 2025, the deadline for the renewal is now 31 March 2026.

“The renewal is a confirmation of registered details being up to date and is not impacted by an outstanding SOA submission.”

LBC understands that it is only a failure to submit a renewal confirmation and pay the £25 fee that can result in a party being removed from the electoral register - and that the renewal must be submitted and signed by the party treasurer.

Financial issues have previously dogged the party. Its accounts for the previous financial year showed a deficit of £80,600 and in January this year it was reported that Mr MacAskill believed party resources had been diverted by Alex Salmond to fund his Edinburgh Fringe show in 2023.

Leaked emails reported in the Sunday Mail saw him write to other senior party officials claiming the boundaries between a “private media operation for commercial profit and a political party… are being blurred”.

As a result he said he would stand down as convener of Alba’s finance and audit committee - but Mr Salmond persuaded him to stay on in the role.

Alex Salmond died unexpectedly last October while in North Macedonia, with Mr MacAskill - who at one time was the SNP’s justice secretary in Mr Salmond’s Cabinet - winning the members’ vote to take over as leader in March.

He sacked the former General Secretary Chris McEleney alleging gross misconduct, and later expelled him from the party. Mr McEleney is now taking the party to an employment tribunal citing unfair treatment and breach of process.

Today a friend close to Mr McEleney said: “Chris is progressing a case through the employment tribunal process to seek remedy for unlawful dismissal by the Alba Party.

“He respects the tribunal and so he will have no further comment in regard to any smears arising as a result of his decision to exert his rights but is bitterly disappointed about any suggestion that Alex Salmond was complicit in not being fully aware of how his political party was being run.

“Throughout Chris’s entire tenure as General Secretary of Alba Party, Kenny MacAskill was Chair of the party’s Finance and Audit Committee, the party was serviced by a professional accountancy firm and Chris is completely content that the finances of the party under the leadership of Alex Salmond were both sound and compliant with the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000.”