Peter Murrell 'never at any time' had access to Yes Scotland funds, lawyer claims

Former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell “never at any time” had access to money belonging to the pro-independence campaign Yes Scotland, lawyer Aamer Anwar has said.

The solicitor issued a statement following newspaper reports claiming that £1.5 million was missing from the Yes Scotland accounts for 2013, prompting a police investigation into the group’s finances.

Mr Anwar claimed there had been a “desperate attempt” to link Nicola Sturgeon’s ex-husband, who has been jailed for embezzling more than £400,000 from the SNP, to the financial affairs of the group set up to push for a Yes vote in the 2014 independence referendum.

In a statement, made on behalf of former Yes Scotland chief executive Blair Jenkins, Mr Anwar insisted that allegations £1.5m was “missing” from the group’s accounts were “false”.

It adds that All Yes Scotland campaign spending was audited, with the group having voluntarily provided Police Scotland with full accounts for 2013, 2014 and 2015.

Mr Anwar added: “All of the income received by Yes Scotland is fully accounted for and it is grossly defamatory to say otherwise.

“There appears to have been a desperate attempt to link Peter Murrell’s criminal conduct in the SNP to the financial affairs of Yes Scotland.

“To make it perfectly clear, Mr Murrell never at any time had access to Yes Scotland’s accounts.”

The statement details that Yes Scotland received donations totalling £2,403,976 in 2013, with these identified in the accounts as “other income”.

The group had a year-end surplus of £878,978, after operating costs of £1,535,855.

These operating costs included the salaries of Yes Scotland staff, the cost of the group’s Glasgow headquarters, and campaign events and publications.

Mr Anwar added: “A balance sheet surplus of £878,978 and income of £2,403,976 doesn’t mean that over £1.5 million had gone missing or been stolen, rather that Yes Scotland’s operating costs were about £1.5 million in 2012-13.

“To be clear, there is no ‘missing’ £1.5 million, but what is missing is any explanation as to why it did not occur to those making the allegations that the £1.5 million represents spending by the campaign.”

David Henry, a former SNP branch secretary, whose concerns about the party’s finances led to the Operation Branchform investigation and the eventual conviction of Murrell, made the latest complaint to Police Scotland.

Mr Henry told the Sunday Mail that the campaign company’s accounts from 2016 onward showed a zero balance, and a previously recorded £1.5m appeared to have “just gone”.