Former SNP chief Peter Murrell is facing questions over a mystery offshore donation which the party was ordered to return. Emails obtained by the Sunday Mail show Murrell, husband of former first minister Nicola Sturgeon, was dealing with a bequest worth thousands of pounds from a foreign donor in March 2021.
But when he flagged the money up to watchdog the Electoral Commission, he was told to pay it back because it breached donation rules. Political parties are required to detail on public donation records when a so-called “impermissible donation” has been returned.
But no such record exists for the 2021 gift to the SNP – leading to calls for them to reveal what’s happened to the money. The SNP has denied that the loan was ever received by the party.
It’s understood that bequeathments like these are forming part of the major police probe into the whereabouts of more than £600,000 of donations to the SNP which were meant to be ringfenced for independence campaigning. Murrell, his wife and former party treasurer Colin Beattie MSP have all been arrested as suspects then released without charge pending further inquiries.
Last night, opponents called for answers to the mystery. Scottish Labour’s deputy leader, Jackie Baillie MSP, said “This eyebrow-raising case raises yet more questions for the SNP and the chaos in their finances.”
Scottish Conservative Chairman Craig Hoy MSP added: “Rather than obsessing about a de facto independence referendum the onus is on the SNP to come clean about this donation and urgently clarify if it has been paid back in line with the clear guidance from the Electoral Commission.” The donation has emerged via a Freedom of Information request made by the Sunday Mail to the Electoral Commission.
It sets out an email from Murrell on March 18, 2021, when he wrote to Andy O’Neill, head of Electoral Commission Scotland, to state: “I guess we won’t be the first ones to receive a legacy gift from someone overseas who isn’t or hasn’t been on the electoral register within the required timescales. But given it’s a first for us, is there an ‘expert paper’ on what to do.”
Mr O’Neill responds to set out how the donor must have been on the UK electoral roll “in the period of five years prior to death”. He said: “If you have already received the request and it is impermissible then you must return it within 30 calendar days to the donor or person acting on behalf of the donor, ie the estate.”
Murrell responds: “All perfect, I know what to do now.”
The Sunday Mail can also reveal the SNP was warned it had broken the law over a £107,000 loan to the party from Murrell because it was recorded a year late in Electoral Commission records.
In documents released under FoI, the SNP is informed in a letter from February this year that its “failure to correctly report” the loan was a “potential breach” of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Action 2000 which could end up with the SNP receiving a fine.
But the EC letter added: “On this occasion we decided it was not proportionate to refer this breach for investigation and instead issue you with appropriate guidance.” The loan from Murrell to the SNP has also formed part of the police fraud probe.
Police Scotland said its investigation was “ongoing” and could not comment further.
Last night, despite Murrell’s email stating it had received the legacy gift, a spokeswoman for the SNP disputed it had accepted the money. She said: “No donation was ever received and so there was no donation to return. The commission agreed with our view that the overseas status meant that the legacy could not be given to us.”
Asked about the late reporting of the loan, a spokeswoman for the Electoral Commission said: “While the loan was reported late, taking into account all of the circumstances, including the party’s good compliance record, we decided to address the late reporting in this case via guidance to the party.”
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