Scottish Labour has demanded an urgent debate at Holyrood this week on establishing a parliamentary inquiry into the Peter Murrell scandal.
MSP Neil Bibby has today written to Jamie Hepburn, the SNP Minister for Parliamentary Business, to warn a “culture of secrecy and cover-up where those who speak out are shut down, bullied or ostracised cannot be allowed to continue”.
Labour, the Scottish Lib Dems, Conservatives, and Reform UK have all called for an inquiry to examine how Murrell was able to embezzle so much money from the SNP for more than a decade.
The party was in power at Holyrood throughout his offending.
In his letter, Bibby said: “Public trust in politicians and senior figures in public life has been badly damaged by this scandal, with Operation Branchform having also cost taxpayers millions of pounds.
“Despite Mr Murrell’s guilty plea, there are still serious questions that must be answered. Why did senior figures within the SNP – including the First Minister – not ask about the state of the party’s finances, despite concerns having been raised publicly?
“Why were whistleblowers shut down by SNP HQ when they asked legitimate questions about the party’s finances and the fate of donations made to further the cause of an independence referendum?
“And why did the resignation of Douglas Chapman as national treasurer of the SNP in 2021 not raise alarm bells for those in the party
“These are just some of the key questions that must be answered. That is why Scottish Labour believe we must have a parliamentary inquiry at the Scottish Parliament.
“I understand the First Minister has already attempted to shut down an inquiry before the details are even set out. However, the people of Scotland cannot be treated in the same way that the SNP treat those within their own party.
“We need openness and transparency. The culture of secrecy and cover-up where those who speak out are shut down, bullied or ostracised cannot be allowed to continue.
“That is why I am today calling for the Scottish Government to make time available this week for an urgent debate. It should be for Parliament to decide whether an inquiry takes place – not the First Minister.”
The Scottish Parliament Bureau is due to meet at noon today where a decision on whether to organise a debate will be made.
John Swinney has previously insisted a parliamentary inquiry will not add anything to the “five-year forensic police investigation” that has already been carried out.
The First Minister said: “We know what happened, and you can’t actually get a standard of investigation any higher in Scotland than a forensic police investigation that results in a successful High Court prosecution and a guilty plea. So we know what happened.”
The Scottish Greens are also opposed to a Holyrood inquiry. A spokesman said: “Oversight of political parties is the job of the independent Electoral Commission, not of other parties via Parliament. That would be a slippery slope to go down.
“This issue has been dealt with by the courts. Using a criminal case to score political points is a huge waste of Parliament’s limited time, and it simply isn’t in the interest of anyone other than politicians who have nothing better to talk about.”
Thomas Kerr, Reform UK deputy leader at Holyrood, said: “The SNP are constantly whining that we don’t need Westminster so why don’t they prove it and allow an investigation into their rotten party at Holyrood.
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“Only one person has been found guilty of crime, that is true, but there is no way that one man could have committed such elaborate embezzlement without a culture of secrecy and blind-eye turning surrounding him.”