National Crime Agency’s specialist team to scrutinise progress, evidence, and potential new leads in ongoing inquiry
The National Crime Agency (NCA), the UK’s top authority in combating serious and organised crime, has deployed a specialist financial crime team to work alongside Police Scotland in their high-profile investigation into the Scottish National Party (SNP).
Tasked with examining the progress of the investigation, identifying additional lines of inquiry, and evaluating evidence already gathered, the NCA’s involvement follows a “peer review” conducted from October to December 2022.
This external review is considered a standard procedure in complex investigations and does not imply any inadequacy in Police Scotland’s handling of the case.
The collaboration between the two agencies aims to ensure a comprehensive and thorough investigation into the SNP’s financial dealings. As part of the inquiry, Nicola Sturgeon’s husband, Peter Murrell, the former SNP chief executive, was arrested earlier this year and released without charge.
Murrell later stepped down from his position for unrelated reasons, citing that his “future has become a distraction from the campaign”.
In a further development, Colin Beattie, the party’s former Treasurer, was arrested just days after Murrell’s detainment and subsequently resigned from his role. Compounding the SNP’s woes, it was disclosed last month that the party’s long-term accountants, Johnston Carmichael, resigned six months ago following a review of its client portfolio.
The SNP has confirmed their full cooperation with the investigation. A spokesperson commented, “These issues are subject to a live police investigation. The SNP have been cooperating fully with this investigation and will continue to do so. However, it is not appropriate to publicly address these issues during this time.”
As the inquiry proceeds, the NCA’s expertise is expected to bolster Police Scotland’s efforts and shed light on any potential financial misconduct within the SNP.
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