A SENIOR Tory councillor and former Holyrood candidate has been arrested over alleged “romance fraud”.
Andrew Polson was the co-leader of East Dunbartonshire Council until his party lost half of their seats in the local elections in May.
He had also attempted to become a Tory MSP for the Strathkelvin and Bearsden ward, losing out to the SNP in both the 2016 and 2021 Holyrood elections.
Polson has been released following further inquiries, with his arrest having been mentioned in court papers for a separate civil action brought by a 68-year-old woman.
It is alleged by the woman that the Tory councillor exerted “undue influence” over her, taking control of her finances and using them to buy property for himself.
She claims they had a five-year relationship which ended in 2018, but that Polson tried to re-establish contact in 2021 after she received a large divorce settlement.
The Tory councillor told the BBC that he could not comment due to a confidentiality clause linked to the civil case.
Polson has previously made headlines for his controversial views on the Covid vaccine.
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: "A 49-year-old man has been arrested in connection with fraud and released pending further inquiries."
