ALEX Salmond spoke to police investigating the SNP finances to help with the probe, reports have said.
The Scottish Sun quoted a source as saying that the former first minister, who led the SNP to power in 2007 and through the first independence referendum in 2014, had been “clearly valuable to police” given his close knowledge of the party’s internal workings.
That paper said that Salmond had met with detectives working on Operation Branchform more than one year ago on their request, but was not formally questioned and did not give a formal statement before his sudden death in October.
A source told the Scottish Sun: “The idea was that as a former SNP leader, he could provide expertise.
“After all, it is the party leader who has overall responsibility for party matters.”
The news comes as separate reports said that 11 officers were currently working on the probe into the SNP finances, which began in the summer of 2021.
Operation Branchform was sparked after concerns about what had happened to some £600,000 raised by the SNP for a second independence referendum campaign, amid allegations that it may have been spent for other purposes.
Amid the probe, former first minister Nicola Sturgeon and former SNP treasurer Colin Beattie have been arrested, questioned, and released without charge.
Sturgeon spoke about the investigation earlier this week, saying she had not heard anything further in relation to Operation Branchform.
She said: “I know nothing more than I did back then and I can’t comment on it anyway. I am just getting on with my life as best I can at the moment.”
After she was released without charge last year, the former first minister said it was “beyond doubt” that she was “innocent of any wrongdoing”.
