SNP chief executive Peter Murrell lent the party over £100,000 to help with “cashflow” after the Holyrood election.
The “personal contribution” by Nicola Sturgeon’s husband was recorded on an election watchdog’s website.
However, the Scottish Tories called for answers on why Murrell had made such a large loan "to the party his wife leads". According to the Electoral Commission, the £107,620 loan was made on June 20th last year.
Nearly £50,000 has been paid, with £60,000 outstanding. The loan was the subject of social media reaction amid questions on SNP finances.
Labour MSP Neil Bibby: “This is highly irregular and the First Minister’s part if any in providing these secret loans needs further investigation.
“The saga surrounding the SNP’s finances just keeps getting murkier, from the questions around the notorious £600k to the unexplained resignation of the party’s finance committee.
“The SNP operate under a veil of secrecy and cover-up by default, but the public deserve transparency about the dealings going on in the party of government.”
Scottish Tory MSP Craig Hoy said: “The role played by Peter Murrell in the SNP grows murkier by the day. It is beyond odd for the SNP chief executive – and Nicola Sturgeon’s husband – to be lending his employer a six-figure sum of money.
“It’s high time the SNP came clean to their own members about what is actually going on and explained why their chief executive is making such large loans to the party his wife leads.”
An SNP spokesperson said: “The loan was reported in our 2021 accounts, which were published by the Electoral Commission in mid-August. The nature of this transaction was initially not thought to give rise to a reporting obligation.
“However, as it had been recorded in the party's 2021 accounts as a loan, it was accordingly then reported to the Electoral Commission as a regulated transaction. This was a personal contribution made by the chief executive to assist with cashflow after the Holyrood election.”
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