The Scottish Affairs Committee in the House of Commons is requesting further guidance after being asked to inquire into the Peter Murrell embezzlement scandal.
While believing Holyrood is the most appropriate place for an inquiry, it will await the outcome of Holyrood’s forthcoming debate and the establishment of committees before deciding whether to undertake “substantive work” on the case.
In the meantime, the committee agreed for the chair Patricia Ferguson to write to the Clerk of the House, the Speaker of the House, and the Electoral Commission “to explore further the potential implication of public funds in the embezzlement of SNP funds.”
The committee agreed to consider any further action in light of the responses received.
It is normally confined to examining issues at Westminster, but Andrew Bowie, the Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland, is among those who have urged it to look into the Murrell case, as it appears there is involvement of taxpayers’ money.
The Scottish Conservative MP for West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine said the shortcomings that enabled the SNP’s former chief executive to get away with embezzling funds over several years to pay for a motorhome, cars and luxury household goods must be examined so that lessons can be learned by all political parties.
In his letter to Ms Ferguson, he said: “It has been suggested that, during the period in question, the SNP received significant sums through public grants, including policy development funding distributed via the Electoral Commission, which may have been pooled with other party resources. This raises the prospect that public money could have been exposed to misuse alongside party funds.
“While the precise extent of this risk remains unclear, the mere possibility that taxpayer funds may have been implicated significantly heightens the public interest in this matter and strengthens the case for thorough parliamentary scrutiny.”
Mr Murrell pleaded guilty to embezzling £400,000 from the SNP and will be sentenced on 23 June.
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