SNP in ‘clearer position’ as it may have been victim of embezzlement – Swinney
The First Minister also said he shared the relief of Nicola Sturgeon and fellow SNP MSP Colin Beattie after they were officially cleared.
John Swinney has said the SNP is now in a “clearer position” as it may have been a victim of embezzlement, suggesting some of the recent difficulties faced by the party could have “moved on”.
The First Minister also said he shared the relief of Nicola Sturgeon and fellow SNP MSP Colin Beattie after they were both cleared in the police investigation into the party’s finances.
His comments came after after Ms Sturgeon’s estranged husband and former SNP chief executive, Peter Murrell, appeared in court charged with embezzlement.
Ms Sturgeon and former party treasurer Colin Beattie were both arrested in 2023 but released pending further investigation in the probe – named Operation Branchform by Police Scotland.
Speaking to journalists in his office at Holyrood, Mr Swinney said: “This will have been a very difficult and challenging experience for Nicola Sturgeon and for Colin Beattie.
“I know they will be relieved by the outcome of the proceedings today. I share that relief for them and I hope this provides the opportunity for both Nicola and Colin to move on from the difficulties that they have faced while this investigation has been under way.”
Mr Swinney said he could not comment on the live proceedings under way in the courts.
But he said the SNP had faced “very difficult times” in the recent period.
He continued: “I think what people will now see is that the court proceedings that are now live involve the possibility that the SNP has been an alleged victim of embezzlement and that’s obviously a matter that will have contributed to those difficulties.”
The SNP will always have “the highest standards of governance and financial control” under his leadership, he said, pledging that any donations to the party would support its “essential work”.
The party now has a “sound basis for optimism” for the coming years, Mr Swinney said.
The First Minister was asked if he was worried about the prospects of the case still hanging over the party going into the 2026 Holyrood election.
He said: “We are in a much clearer position today, because what has emerged from the proceedings in court today is that the Scottish National Party may be the alleged victim of embezzlement and that is the issue the courts have got to consider.
“That I think indicates to anybody observing the situation that the Scottish National Party is in a clearer position today, that the issues associated with the investigation have been advanced to an extent that that point is clear.
“In that context, I think we can feel that some of the difficulties that we have experienced as a consequence of this investigation being under way have now moved on.”
