A SCOTTISH LibDem MP has quickly redacted a comment sent to media about former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell.
Jamie Stone, who represents Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross at Westminster, emailed out a statement to journalists on Friday morning following Murrell’s appearance in court on Thursday.
The comments, which The National will not publish for legal reasons, were withdrawn in a separate email 13 minutes later. A second email withdrawing them was received seven minutes after that.
Murrell appeared in Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Thursday charged with embezzlement after a long-running police investigation into the SNP’s finances and what happened to some £600,000 raised to fight a second independence referendum.
The former party chief executive made no plea and was released on bail.
The Crown Office then issued a warning to people not to speculate on the outcome of the case, or they could face proceedings under the Contempt of Court Act.
His estranged wife, former first minister Nicola Sturgeon, and former SNP treasurer Colin Beattie were both cleared of wrongdoing by Police Scotland shortly afterwards.
She said: “As first minister of this country for the best part of a decade, I have utmost respect for the police and for the prosecution authorities, and I’m never going to say or do anything to undermine that.
“All I can say is that I have done nothing wrong and I don’t think there was a scrap of evidence that I had done anything wrong.
“And therefore, of course, to have something like this hanging over me for almost two years now has been difficult, it’s been frustrating, and I don’t think I’m saying anything there that people would be surprised to hear.”
Speaking to journalists in Holyrood, Beattie said he was “very relieved” with the outcome.
“I knew myself that I had done nothing wrong, but two years is a long time to be waiting for a result,” he said.
“It’s been a hard time for my family, my wife and myself and I still haven’t quite taken it on board.”
He said he intends to stand in the election next year and added: “As far as I’m concerned, it’s over.”
