SNP: Two Murrells, one motorhome and a shed-load of missing cash

[jfman]

Originally Posted by OLD BOY

…Pending investigation.

Isn’t everyone released “pending investigation”? Unless they routinely close 2 year old cases at the exact moment they release the final person to be arrested, without the need to consult other agencies or higher ranking officers. On a Sunday at 5pm.

Originally Posted by jfman

Isn’t everyone released “pending investigation”? Unless they routinely close 2 year old cases at the exact moment they release the final person to be arrested, without the need to consult other agencies or higher ranking officers. On a Sunday at 5pm.

No, I believe police can release someone with an indication that no further action will be taken, though that notification is likely to follow days or weeks afterwards. I lack personal experience here.

[1andrew1]

Originally Posted by nomadking

Link
When the allegations first arose, the normal reaction would be to ask those likely in the know. From that, various people in the SNP should now know where the money went. Possible that the money wasn't ring-fenced and ended up in general funds. If that is the case, they should own up.

General enough to include a £110,000 motor home? Hmm.

---------- Post added at 23:30 ---------- Previous post was at 22:19 ----------

Originally Posted by jfman

Good news for Johnson though. Who’d have thought a former Prime Minister resigning as an MP in disgrace and a former First Minister arrested on the same weekend. I might frame both given how unlikely such a set of circumstances must be.

Would be interesting to know if such a similar trend of events has happened anywhere in the world over a single weekend in equivalent federal structures.

And Trump indicted again too. This trio of self-serving pesky populists are not finding the going good at the moment.

[Hom3r]

fandabidozi

The husband of former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has been charged in connection with the embezzlement of funds from the Scottish National Party.
Peter Murrell, 59, was taken into custody at 09:13 on Thursday and was questioned by Police Scotland detectives.
He was previously arrested as a suspect on 5 April 2023 before being released without charge.
BBC Scotland understands Mr Murrell has resigned his SNP membership.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-68850088

HAhahahahahahahahahah

Sorry. Shouldn’t laugh.

But

Hahahahahahahahahaha

Murrell has finally appeared in court for a bail hearing with regard to his embezzlement charge, almost a year later.

And Polis Scotland have - finally - admitted they’re no longer investigating Wee Nicola, or the former SNP party treasurer, Colin Beattie, over these matters.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5y2z4qq6zzo

Something about this stinks to high heaven - how it can take almost a year from charge to a bail hearing says nothing good about the way justice is handled in Scotland. And the fact that yet another aspect of the Scottish public sector can’t get its act together slightly reduces my level of sympathy for Nicola Sturgeon, who has been kept hanging on seemingly by the same institutional incompetence.

Obviously if she is not being charged with anything she - and we - should have been told about it a long time before now. But hey, she and her gang have run the ship aground whilst they were busy with their usual obsessions instead of keeping watch, so

[nomadking]

Originally Posted by Chris

Murrell has finally appeared in court for a bail hearing with regard to his embezzlement charge, almost a year later.

And Polis Scotland have - finally - admitted they’re no longer investigating Wee Nicola, or the former SNP party treasurer, Colin Beattie, over these matters.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5y2z4qq6zzo

Something about this stinks to high heaven - how it can take almost a year from charge to a bail hearing says nothing good about the way justice is handled in Scotland. And the fact that yet another aspect of the Scottish public sector can’t get its act together slightly reduces my level of sympathy for Nicola Sturgeon, who has been kept hanging on seemingly by the same institutional incompetence.

Obviously if she is not being charged with anything she - and we - should have been told about it a long time before now. But hey, she and her gang have run the ship aground whilst they were busy with their usual obsessions instead of keeping watch, so

Are we really meant to believe she had no idea of whatever her husband is alleged to have done?
He gave the party a £107,620 loan. Did she not ask where he got the money from? Did she not ask where the £600,000 went to?

All good questions, but questions we will not get satisfactory answers to now. Some of it will doubtless come out in court when Murrell finally goes on trial. My suspicion is that he has agreed to fall on his own sword for her and will state under oath exactly those things - that he did it in such a way as to shield his party leader (and wife) from blame.

On reflection, there was never much chance of Nicola falling on any swords. She’s just not that sort of person.

It’s also worth adding that Sturgeon is lying when she says “there was never a scrap of evidence against me.” A file was sent to the Crown Office (the Scottish CPS), which in procedural terms only happens when there is sufficient evidence to do so. Police send off the file, someone else then decides if there is *enough* evidence for a charge.

So, yes, Nicola, there was in fact a whole dossier of evidence against you. Not enough for you to end up in court, but let’s not pretend there was never a reasonable suspicion that you were up to no good.

[Mr K]

Originally Posted by Chris

It’s also worth adding that Sturgeon is lying when she says “there was never a scrap of evidence against me.” A file was sent to the Crown Office (the Scottish CPS), which in procedural terms only happens when there is sufficient evidence to do so. Police send off the file, someone else then decides if there is *enough* evidence for a charge.

So, yes, Nicola, there was in fact a whole dossier of evidence against you. Not enough for you to end up in court, but let’s not pretend there was never a reasonable suspicion that you were up to no good.

Try not to sound too gutted mate.

Nicola is innocent, end of

Originally Posted by Mr K

Try not to sound too gutted mate.

Nicola is innocent, end of

Nicola has not been charged with a crime. But to quote Mr Bridger: “Freddie, everybody in the world is bent.”

[jfman]

If my husband/partner of decades had been accused of embezzling money from the political party I’d dedicated almost my entire adult life to I’d probably not hang around a Glasgow comedy festival and probably be quite visibly angry about it.

It’s also worth remembering that when Alex Salmond was acquitted, Sturgeon fulminated that just because a jury decided his actions did not amount to criminality, it didn’t mean that he didn’t do the things he’d been accused of. Ironic, really, that she’s demanding a level of understanding that she refused to give her old boss.

[jfman]

Originally Posted by Chris

It’s also worth remembering that when Alex Salmond was acquitted, Sturgeon fulminated that just because a jury decided his actions did not amount to criminality, it didn’t mean that he didn’t do the things he’d been accused of. Ironic, really, that she’s demanding a level of understanding that she refused to give her old boss.

Indeed, Salmond facing a jury and (some) witness testimony being entirely discredited wasn’t enough it was insisted upon that the smear remained. Even in his death some of her followers insisted upon dragging his name through the mud.

Also the complete mishandling of the internal investigation cost the taxpayer hundreds of thousands of pounds in the process.

Her angry wee video telling everyone to stop asking about money should be played in televised obituaries to her.