SNP accused of defrauding members over 'ring-fenced' referendum fund
John Swinney effectively admitted the cash had been spent by the party
The SNP has been accused of defrauding its members after John Swinney effectively admitted a “ring-fenced” £600,000 independence referendum campaign fund has been spent on general party business.
The First Minister was quizzed about the cash after Peter Murrell, the party’s former chief executive and Nicola Sturgeon’s estranged husband, pled guilty to embezzling more than £400,000 from the SNP over a 12-year period.
The police investigation that uncovered his crimes began in 2021 when complaints were made about the handling of two referendum campaign fundraisers in 2017 and 2019, which raised a combined £667,000.
The SNP insisted in 2017 that this money would “only be used for the specific purpose of a referendum campaign”.
However, Mr Swinney has now admitted it was used as “part of the ongoing activities” of the party.
Asked what had happened to the money, he told Bauer Media: "That money is part of the resources that are available within the Scottish National Party to support its independence objectives.
"The SNP is the party of independence and that's what we campaign for. We just campaigned for Scottish independence at the Scottish Parliament elections."
Asked if it had all been used, he added: "I'm saying it's part of the ongoing activities of the Scottish National Party.
"We're the party that campaigns for independence. We just fought an election campaign in which we had a very, very strong anchoring of our campaign for independence.
"If that's not the use of the resources then I'm not sure I understand what the resources are for."
The Scotsman has asked the party to explain the contradiction between this and the SNP’s position in 2017.
In 2021, Colin Beattie, the former SNP treasurer, insisted the party would “ensure that an amount equivalent to the sums raised from these appeals will go directly to our work to secure a referendum and win independence”.
Murrell, who will be sentenced later this month, used false invoices and fake expenses to embezzle £400,310.65 from the SNP between 2010 and 2022.
Mr Swinney previously spoke of his “horror” at this “colossal breach of trust”.
“The systems that were in place should not have been able to be abused, but they were,” he told journalists.
Scottish Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie said: “After spending the past week angrily shouting at opposition politicians and journalists, John Swinney has finally admitted that the SNP have defrauded their members again.
“SNP members and supporters donated their hard-earned money believing it would be used for a future referendum campaign. John Swinney has now admitted that it became part of the SNP’s general resources.
“People will rightly ask whether they were misled. They will rightly ask why the SNP continues to resist scrutiny. And they will rightly ask why John Swinney is so desperate to avoid a full inquiry.
“Up to one million pounds may now have been stolen from SNP members - they and the public deserve answers about this criminal enterprise masquerading as a political party.
“John Swinney has been at the heart of this scandal-ridden party for decades. No amount of evasion or bluster can hide the fact that serious questions remain unanswered.”
Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay said: “John Swinney’s confession that the SNP spent ‘ringfenced’ referendum money on other things is damning.
“SNP members are still being hoodwinked about how Swinney and Nicola Sturgeon enabled Peter Murrell’s 12-year-long theft of their cash by shutting down scrutiny.
“Swinney’s small-town bank manager routine just won’t cut it for those whose hard-earned cash was either stolen by Sturgeon’s husband or mis-spent by the SNP.
“This surely destroys any residual trust in this shady political party whose tactics of dishonesty, intolerance and omerta increasingly resemble that of an organised crime group.”
An SNP spokesman said: “As the then national treasurer made clear in 2021, the funds raised would be spent, directly or indirectly, on making the case for independence.
“Every penny that is donated to the SNP should be spent in support of winning independence. That is why Peter Murrell’s theft from the SNP was an utter betrayal and all the more hurtful to the party’s members and supporters."
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