More corruption

[Scoffingbiscuits]

A few days ago, the SNP leader of Perth and Kinross Council was charged with embezzlement over a period of 8 years. His response was to resign from the SNP and from his position as leader of the council, but to remain on the council as an independent. He resigned stating only "personal reasons", so his fellow SNP councillors responded by announcing what a great job he'd done, how much he'd be missed, and how they'd try to continue their mutual mission. A couple of hours later, everyone found out that he'd resigned because of criminal charges. I wonder how long he'll continue on the council until trial. Years?

I can't say I was surprised when this came out. As soon as they said personal reasons I thought "What's he done?". Quelle surprise.

Innocent until proven guilty?

If he is convicted he can be removed from the council. Until that happens he can continue in post.

He's deemed innocent until proved guilty. That of course doesn't mean that he's innocent of the alleged crime, but only that it hasn't been proved against him in court (it hasn't gone to trial yet). As I stated, Grant Laing has chosen to remain on the Council despite being charged with embezzlement. Not long after finding out about the embezzlement charge, Perth and Kinross Council issued a statement that the alleged embezzlement doesn't relate to Perth and Kinross funds, operations or activities. I can only hope that they're carrying out a thorough internal investigation to find out whether anything similar has happened within the Council. I'd assume that he doesn't currently have access to or influence over the use of Council funds, as he's stood down as Council Leader. A councillor is self-employed rather than an employee, so doesn't have the right not to be unfairly dismissed. In any event, employers aren't necessarily expected to wait until after conviction before dismissing an employee in relation to a criminal offence. A criminal charge can destroy necessary trust and confidence in the employee and may have an ongoing adverse effect on the employer's reputation, justifying dismissal. Without doing research I'm not sure whether it is appropriate for Grant Laing to remain on the Council or not. It could be a long time before the trial takes place. I certainly feel uneasy about it. Councillors are supposed to be honest and to have integrity. The people they represent should be able to trust them.