Police probing the SNP’s finances are hunting for mobile phone sim cards, as an ex-party councillor claims senior figures tried to raise questions two years before the police investigation started.
It has been another tumultuous week for the SNP, as Colin Beattie stood down as party treasurer after being arrested in connection with the police investigation into the party’s finances.
Mr Beattie was released the same day.
This comes only weeks after Peter Murrell, the party’s former chief executive and husband of Nicola Sturgeon, was arrested and later released.
Senior officials now say police are hunting for mobile phone sim cards, as they look to gather more evidence in their investigation.
‘They could contain vital evidence’
Detectives have been searching a house in the hope of finding these sim cards linked to the party’s HQ.
They believe these cards will hold vital text messages and voice recordings which will help them with their investigation.
A senior party source told The Mail on Sunday: “The police are looking for sim cards.
“They could contain vital evidence – especially over any text messages.
“That is one reason the police are going through everything with a fine-toothed comb.”
It is understood officers are also looking into the purchase of luxury pens, designer pots and pans and a fridge freezer.
Despite the investigation into the whereabouts of £667,000 of donations meant for independence campaigning, the party’s deputy leader, Keith Brown, said his party was the most transparent in Scotland.
Speaking on The Sunday Show, he said: “We are a more transparent, more successful party than any other party in Scotland.
“We have to increase that transparency.
“It is my ambition and I know that it is Humza (Yousaf)’s to make sure we are the most transparent party in Scotland and that we set the standard for transparency and shame the other parties.”
‘Desperate’ to shut down discussions
This comes as leaked minutes from the SNP’s National Executive Committee show senior figures asking questions about the independence money two years before the police started their own investigation.
Former SNP councillor Chris McEleny, who defected to the Alba Party in 2021, said he was targeted when he asked where the money was back in 2019.
He said party leaders, including Ms Sturgeon, were desperate to shut down discussions about the money.
Mr McEleny told the Sunday Mail: “Nicola Sturgeon was at the meeting where I first raised my concerns in 2019.
“Later, I had raised a motion at the National Executive Committee asking for an inquiry into leaks because it was becoming draining seeing leaks about me trying to damage my character because I’d been asking questions about finances.
“Nicola threw everything against that inquiry being allowed to take place.
“She threatened me and others that we’d have to hand our mobile phones over to be checked, we’d have to give access to our email accounts to see who was behind these leaks.”
Robertson given £33,000 wage top-up
On top of the police probe into party finances, The Times is also reporting Angus Robertson was secretly paid a £33,000 salary top-up while he was the party’s Westminster leader.
This happened in 2015 after a surge in nationalist support saw the SNP becoming the third-largest party in Westminster.
SNP MPs were not told about this and it is understood those who later did find out were angry.
A spokesman for the SNP said: “Employment issues relating to the Westminster SNP leader, chief whip and group staff are a matter decided by the group executive.
“Senior leadership remuneration followed the SNP becoming the third party at Westminster and was pegged below comparative UK government and opposition positions.”
The leader of the opposition, currently Labour’s Sir Keir Starmer, is normally given a salary-top up equivalent to what is given to a cabinet secretary.
Despite this Scottish Labour’s deputy leader Jackie Baillie has criticised the news as another example of the “culture of secrecy and cover-up” at the heart of the SNP.
Ms Baillie said: “It is unbelievable that the SNP and Angus Robertson both failed to declare that Mr Robertson’s wages were topped up with public money.
“There must be urgent clarification about why this payment was never registered and why senior figures in the SNP went to such extreme lengths to keep it secret not just from the public but from other figures in their party.
“Scotland deserves better than the arrogant and sleaze-ridden SNP.”
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