Peter Murrell embezzlement - Part 2

[Sunnnyday]

Feel free to post anything about corruption in Scottish politics, and related issues.

There's plenty of corruption at the top of the SNP. Remember this one from 2023, by an SNP minister?
Michael Matheson: Furore over £11,000 iPad bill 'completely blown out of all proportion', says shamed MSP | UK News | Sky News
Matheson said that the reaction to his basically trying to steal £11,000 from the taxpayer was overblown for political reasons. After doing everything he could to pretend that the bill had been incurred on constituency work, so that he could get the taxpayer to pay for his family's personal use of the iPad while abroad on holiday. His sons had been watching the football.
Here's an earlier stage of the scandal, when he was only asked to repay £3,000, out of his expenses budget (so he wouldn't have paid anything out of his own money), with the Scottish Parliament paying the extra £8,000:
Minister Michael Matheson racks up £11k roaming fee on parliament iPad - BBC News

The Scottish Parliament's Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee, according to Wikipedia: "reported on 23 May 2024, recommending a 27-day ban from the Scottish Parliament, as well as Matheson's being withheld his salary as an MSP for 54 days. This was described as the toughest sanction ever recommended for an MSP. The First Minister, John Swinney, declared that he would not support the committee's recommended sanction, describing Matheson as a "friend and colleague" who had "made mistakes", and casting doubt on the integrity of the committee's process: describing the process as "prejudiced"". The SNP as a party abstained on the vote to sanction Matheson, as recommended by the committee.

Matheson, having resigned from his ministerial job, continued as an MSP until this year's Holyrood elections. He submitted an application to stand again, but it seems that his constituency wasn't very happy with the idea.

But please don't worry about him too much. He is apparently in gainful work connected to his political roles.

Jeanette of Krankie fame is still on the go,who could play the part of Peter?

The Information Commissioner is a man of integrity working under a ridiculously low budget.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/scotland-westminster-mps-john-swinney-b3047473.html

both welcome!

I see that the Scottish Government has refused to work with the Scottish Affairs Committee on this, so they will have to do the job on their own. I wonder how much cooperation there'll be.

“We will undertake this work alone, following confirmation from relevant Holyrood committees that they do not wish to work jointly with us on these important issues, which interact with devolved competence.”

I wonder how much power the investigation will have.

Then they’ll just say evil Westminster set them up if anything is found

I'm struggling to make sense of this headline. How can an MSP spend 5 years in the Scottish Parliament without having a surgery meeting with a constituent? And why did she get voted back in?
Facebook

Well, turnout was generally low. But it seems voters in her constituency chose her.

'Ms Slater pulled off a coup by defeating incumbent former SNP Government Secretary Angus Robertson in the seat, becoming one of the first Scottish Greens to win a constituency seat. Scottish Labour finished second but by a wide margin.'

https://whocanivotefor.co.uk/elections/sp.c.edinburgh-central.2026-05-07/edinburgh-central/

54% turnout. 12,000 voted for her.

Who the heck is voting for the Greens? Madness 😮

Peter Murrell proceeds of crime hearing put back until December

https://www.thetimes.com/article/e64064c4-0171-463d-93f1-350be2e79cf3?shareToken=a44c2fd537114b74485223c155f60dc0

I live on the boundary, it’s student central. Vote Greens in windows everywhere. Edinburgh Uni is completely captured.

Peter Murrell ‘should repay taxpayers first, not SNP’

https://www.thetimes.com/article/01be8d50-56cf-4946-af05-50b5e725fe1d?shareToken=37e614d088cda9e60d6d4597a5ae9cf7

I don't suppose there's any chance of that happening, though he makes a fair point. Murrell was apparently able to steal hundreds of thousands of pounds very easily because there were no basic checks and balances within the SNP finances which prevented him from doing so (and according to the article Swinney has lied about that, suggesting Murrell managed to steal the money because he was some kind of criminal mastermind). Plus Nicola Sturgeon shut down serious concerns raised about party finances, while her husband continued on his stealing and spending spree.

Top lawyer Dunlop joins blogger’s legal fight over SNP finances

https://www.thetimes.com/article/6aae99b3-f6f4-4393-94a7-3d6b78a7ccf9?shareToken=6accf17665dc8ceb44800bc20f281961

Bring it on.

Roddy Dunlop is fierce. You'd definitely want him on your side in court rather than facing him.

I’m intrigued by this. He must think it has some merit. I was a bit sceptical, but let’s hope this brings them down

I'm intrigued too. Dunlop is a fierce unionist who has no time for the SNP so it's strange he'd work pro bono for an independence campaigner. Let's see how it pans out.

Sturgeon the very essence of micro management nothing went on in Holyrood without her say so.
We are meant to believe she didn't know what was going on under her own roof.

Aye right!! She was up to her neck in it.

Call me naive, but I tend to think moral outrage has brought together those who would normally be in opposition.