UK
SNP finances probe ‘delays’ threaten independence movement, whistleblower says
The man who called in police over the SNP’s finances has told Sky News “delays” in the long-running fraud investigation threatens the future of the Scottish independence movement.
Campaigner Sean Clerkin triggered the probe more than three years ago after phoning detectives with concerns about more than £600,000 that had been fundraised for a second referendum.
Officers previously defended the duration of the inquiry, dubbed Operation Branchform, suggesting it had “moved beyond” the initial complaint.
Nicola Sturgeon‘s husband Peter Murrell has been charged with embezzlement by detectives.
However, prosecutors at the Crown Office have not yet said when, or if, they will bring the former SNP chief executive to court.
Ms Sturgeon, Scotland‘s longest-serving first minister, was arrested and released without charge in 2023. Her Glasgow home was raided by police and an evidence tent was erected in her front garden.
The 54-year-old was detained months after leaving office, but has always insisted she has done nothing wrong.
Then Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and her husband Peter Murrell in 2022. File pic: PA
Sturgeon remains a suspect, but officers are currently seeking guidance from the prosecution service on what their next move should be.
Devout independence supporter Sean Clerkin has told Sky News he has been “persecuted” and received death threats for being the person who initially lodged the allegations with police.
The campaigner described frustration at what he feels has been a protracted process.
He said: “All these years down the line I have been persecuted by nationalists who have persecuted me on social media and at rallies.
“Threatening to do me in, threatened to take me out and I have had death threats.
“This case has to be wound up by the end of this year. In terms of the investigation for us to have free and fair elections in 2026 without this hanging over any of the pro-independence parties.”
Sean Clerkin (left) meets former SNP leader Alex Salmond in 2011. Pic: PA/Danny Lawson
The Crown Office is currently examining a report on the high-profile case from police.
A spokesman said: “Before deciding what action to take, if any, in the public interest, prosecutors will consider if there is enough evidence.
“There must be evidence from at least two separate sources to establish that a crime was committed and that the person under investigation was the perpetrator.”
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Leading Scottish criminal defence lawyer Thomas Leonard Ross KC has told Sky News the police investigation “cannot go on indefinitely”.
He said: “Once somebody is charged then they have the right to a trial within a reasonable time.
“Before a person is formally charged, there might be an argument as to whether the clock is efficiently running.
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He continued: “There is absolutely no doubt that it is running in relation to Mr Murrell, so certainly the police and Crown office have to be alive to that.
“The police inquiry cannot go on indefinitely.”
An SNP spokesperson said: “While the police investigation has reportedly been completed and passed over to the Crown Office, the case remains active and it would be inappropriate to comment.”