Witnesses have been quizzed over whether a video uncovered by the Sunday Mail inextricably links Nicola Sturgeon to SNP fraud claims.“There are no reasons for people to be concerned about the party’s finances and all of us need to be careful about not suggesting that there is.”
Murrell and Sturgeon’s home was searched and police are probing hundreds of purchases believed to have been made with party cash. A source said: “The line of questioning has been about what people knew of various purchases, who would have been able to make purchases, and who could reasonably have known about purchases and who would have had access to accounts and spending information.
The Operation Branchform probe is focused on how cash raised in 2017 and 2019 as part of a referendum appeal has been spent. Concerns were raised when SNP accounts showed there was less than £100,000 in the bank at the end of 2019, despite £600,000 being donated.