We all now know Peter Murrell is a crook. The estranged husband of Nicola Sturgeon has admitted so in court.
But the former chief executive of the SNP is also a chancer. Given the weight of the evidence against him, Murrell must have known he was guilty all along.
As soon as cops started poring through a decade of receipts for dodgy purchases, the game was up.
But Murrell’s delay in admitting his guilt allowed the SNP to go into the Holyrood election unsullied by the unfolding scandal.
Murrell was originally due in court for a pleading diet before the Holyrood election. But the date was then pushed back until May 25 – weeks after the crucial vote, which the SNP won at a canter.
We report today how election experts believe the delay gave the SNP a clear advantage in the May election.
The calls for a full inquiry into the Murrell scandal are growing every day.
Any inquiry – whether at Westminster or Holyrood – must examine the decision to delay his final day in court.
The role of the legal authorities in agreeing to a delay may have been entirely legitimate. But transparency must be the new watchword for Scotland’s secretive public bodies – so an inquiry should be able to clear that issue up once and for all.
An inquiry must also look at the decision to grant Murrell legal aid, despite him having a luxury villa in Portugal worth £400,000 and a £600,000 pension.
Why was he given taxpayers’ money to mount his defence when he was clearly a man of some means?
Again, an inquiry would be able to reassure the public that everything in that decision was above board.
Voters deserve answers on these key questions.
And here at the Daily Record we won’t give up until we have them.
It’s every Scottish football fan’s worst nightmare.
Thousands of pounds spent on a World Cup trip, only to see it scuppered at the last minute by red tape.
But that is exactly what’s happening to a growing number of Scotland supporters as the US authorities revoke their visa waivers without any notice.
After the Record reported demands for US president Donald Trump to step in and sort out the mess First Minister John Swinney has spoken out.
He has demanded the US Consulate allow fans who have applied for visa waivers in plenty of time be given exemptions to let them travel.
We know Swinney has a direct line to the White House. He spoke to The Don when he lobbied for a cut in whisky tariffs.
He should use that connection – and Trump’s strong family ties to Scotland – to plead the Tartan Army’s case.
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If he succeeds he’ll be the first Scottish hero of this World Cup.
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