John Swinney rejects call for Holyrood inquiry into Murrell case

Speaking while he visited a housing development in East Lothian today, he said that the police investigation, Operation Branchform, had carried out a forensic investigation and a Holyrood committee inquiry would not add anything further.

"I don't think there's a need for a Holyrood inquiry, there's been a police inquiry, what more do we need to look into?"

He added: "There's been criminality involved here, and that criminality has been addressed in the courts, I don't think its appropriate for there to be a Holyrood inquiry - what could it do that a detailed police investigation hasn't just done?

"This is an example of the politicisation of criminality and we should respect the decisions of the police and the courts to ensure criminality is addressed and that's what's happened in this case... and I'm confident we have strong and robust governance procedures that I preside over as party leader, and that should provide assurance that the SNP is well governed party."

Pressure for an inquiry has come from opposition parties who say there are outstanding questions to be answered about the length of time and £2m cost of the police investigation as well as the actions of the Crown and Mr Swinney's party given the potential involvement of public monies in the embezzlement.

Peter Murrell's embezzlement of more than £400,000 from the SNP, was carried out over a 12 year period, and opposition politicians believe that did not just involve the spending of private donations - despite the investigation first being started in 2021 because of allegations of a missing £600,000 ring-fenced fund raised for a second independence campaign.

All political parties receive public money from the Electoral Commission for policy development. The SNP also expects its MPs and MSPs to donate upwards of £250 a month to party coffers from their taxpayer funded salaries.

The SNP has also received hundreds of thousands in "short money" from the House of Commons since 2015 when it won 56 of Scotland's 59 MPs. However LBC understands that money - which all opposition parties are in receipt of to pay for staff - does not go national party bodies, but to parliamentary units, which have to have the spending audited.

The same procedure operates in the Scottish Parliament, but the SNP as the party of government, has not received short money since 2007.

Peter Murrell was remanded in custody on Monday after pleading guilty to embezzlement during his time as SNP chief executive, while he was married to the party's former leader Nicola Sturgeon. She has denied any knowledge of his actions.

Documents released by the court, totalling 125 pages, detailed just what he had purchased with the cash, ranging from a £125,000 motorhome, to £2600 Lalique salt and pepper shakers, luxury leather goods, clothes, expensive kitchenware and coffee machines, as well as more every day objects such as umbrellas and toilet seats.

Scottish Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie has written to MSPs outlining her call for a Holyrood inquiry.

She told LBC: "John Swinney wants to gloss over this scandal with a nothing to see here attitude but there are serious questions for the SNP and the First Minister to answer such as why did no-one in the party ask what happened to those ring fenced funds?

"He has a moral obligation to tell the public what he knew and when about these missing funds, and if he says he was not aware, he should explain why not a single person in the SNP leadership had the faintest curiousity to ask about that money.

"There are also questions about why it took Police Scotland several years to complete Operation Branchform at a cost of millions, and there must be clarity over why the Crown Office deemed it appropriate to tip off the Scottish Government about Nicola Sturgeon not facing charges and why Murrell's hearing was pushed back until after the Scottish election.

"These are serious questions and why it is right for Holyrood to have an inquiry - a parliamentary inquiry will get to the truth and help restore trust in politics."

The Scottish Conservatives are also calling for the Crown Office to publish the reasons why no charges were brought against Nicola Sturgeon, now that Peter Murrell's trial is over.

Party 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."

Many former members of the SNP have also said the party has more questions to answer, given the string of resignations from the National Executive Committee as a result of people asking questions about the party finances.

Former SNP MP Joanna Cherry said there needed to be "justice as well for those people". She resigned from the NEC in 2021 over a lack of transparency, just after the then party treasurer Douglas Chapman, also resigned claiming he was not being allowed access to the accounts.

Their resignations followed those of former Lord Provost of Edinburgh, Councillor Frank Ross, and former party members, Cynthia Guthrie and Allison Graham. They quit the party's finance and audit committee after being denied sight of the accounts.

Ahead of their resignations, a statement from them was read to the SNP's NEC about a lack of transparency in the party finances. A video which emerged in 2023, apparently shows Nicola Sturgeon telling the same meeting the party's finances had never been stronger, and warning people not to go public with their concerns.

She stood down as SNP leader and Scotland's First Minister just weeks before Operation Branchform detectives searched her, and Peter Murrell's home, and the SNP HQ in Edinburgh.

Her successor Humza Yousaf saw his brief tenure as leader rocked by Murrell's arrest, but also the arrests of Nicola Sturgeon and the party's treasurer Colin Beattie - both of whom were not charged with any offence.

John Swinney has said that since he became party leader he has made party governance more robust and that he feels "betrayed" by Murrell's actions.

He and Peter Murrell have been friends since childhood - and it was Mr Swinney who appointed him as chief executive back in 2001.

Today though he said there was no need for a parliamentary inquiry.

"Obviously it's up to parliamentary committees to decide what issues they enquire into but the SNP has undertaken a review of its governance, and crucially there was a very comprehensive police investigation and it found criminality and that has been addressed by the admission of guilt by Peter Murrell and the conclusions of the court and we should respect that'" he said.

Pushed on the concerns that were raised previously and why no-one in SNP leadership addressed them, he added: "We have all the answers to those questions, the answers are all there in the police investigation."

He declined to give a view on the length of sentence Peter Murrell should receive, however his predecessor Humza Yousaf today told his local paper, The Courier, he hoped the sentence should be "hefty".

Scotland's Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service declined to comment on the call for a Holyrood inquiry as the Murrell case is active until he is sentenced on June 23.

But on Tory demands to know why Nicola Sturgeon was not charged, a spokesman said: “A request from Police Scotland for advice and guidance in an investigation into a 73-year-old man and a 54-year-old woman was responded to by COPFS.

“The request was handled as part of a large-scale wider inquiry and without delay on the part of the prosecution service who recognised its significance.

“Professional prosecutors from COPFS and independent counsel dealt with this without involving the Lord Advocate or Solicitor General. All Scotland's prosecutors operate independently of political influence.

“Where allegations are made against people or institutions in which the public have placed trust, it is the responsibility of the authorities to conduct a thorough investigation to determine if there is evidence that criminal conduct has occurred.

“We understand public curiosity about this investigation. However, the Crown does not publicly share details of confidential inquiries where there are no proceedings in court.

"This protects the rights of the individuals concerned who are entitled to a presumption of innocence.”

Police Scotland said that Operation Branchform was a "lengthy and extremely complex case due to the scale of criminality over a 12-year period and the lengths Peter Murrell went to try and cover his tracks."

The Electoral Commission has been contacted for comment.