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 that £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.”

‘Weasel words’

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”.

Speaking to journalists outside Fettes police station in Edinburgh following a meeting with detectives, Henry and campaigner Sean Clerkin rejected Mr Anwar’s claims.

“That’s weasel words,” said Mr Henry, a failed SNP candidate who left the party in 2021.

“Access doesn’t mean he wasn’t in control or acting as a shadow director, right?

“Peter Murrell may not have had access to the Yes Scotland Limited account, if that’s what he’s referring to.”

Mr Henry went on to claim former SNP lawyer Scott Martin was “in charge of the Yes Scotland bank account”.

Chiming in, Mr Clerkin added: “And who was his boss? His boss was Peter Murrell.

“Peter Murrell had very close control over all the donations that were coming into Yes Scotland.”

They suggested there could be “more than one person involved”, with Mr Clerkin alleging there could be a “potential criminal cabal inside the SNP”.

The pair said police are assessing information they had been passed before deciding whether to launch an investigation.

Police ‘assessing information’

A spokesperson for Police Scotland said: “Information has been received and it is being assessed.”

A spokesperson for the SNP said: “The criminal actions of Peter Murrell was uncovered by a complex and extensive police investigation which found the SNP was the victim of embezzlement.

“Yes Scotland Ltd is and was an entirely separate entity to the SNP. Throughout the referendum campaign, Yes Scotland was run by an independent board of directors.

“As everyone knows, the SNP was a major partner in Yes Scotland and campaigned with Yes Scotland during the referendum.”