Nicola Sturgeon and Peter Murrell should be compelled to give evidence to an upcoming Westminster investigation into the fallout from the £400,000 embezzlement scandal, a senior Conservative MP has said.
Harriet Cross, the shadow Scottish secretary and a member of the Scottish Affairs Committee overseeing the inquiry, said the former First Minister and her estranged husband should both be questioned.
The Westminster investigation was launched after SNP and Green MSPs rejected calls for a Holyrood inquiry, while committees at the Scottish Parliament subsequently declined to examine the issue.
Asked whether Ms Sturgeon and Mr Murrell should be required to appear, Ms Cross, the MP for Gordon and Buchan, said: ‘I’m still on the committee so I’m limited in what I can say but what is safe to say is there are a huge amount of questions that the public still have and a huge amount of public money has been spent on the [criminal] inquiry, not least via Police Scotland.
‘So while questions still remain it does seem right that the public get answers to those.’
When asked if those answers should come directly from Mr Murrell, Ms Sturgeon and other central figures, she added: ‘It is difficult to get answers third-hand, so I think you get the best answer from the person involved.’
Nicola Sturgeon and Peter Murrell have been urged to answer questions before a Westminster inquiry
Conservative deputy leader Alex Burghart, who met business leaders in Edinburgh with Ms Cross, said: ‘The public deserve to have full disclosure and the press deserve to feel they have been given full transparency.
‘As Harriet said, there are a huge number of questions to be answered and I would certainly like to see both of them giving evidence in public.’
The cross-party Scottish Affairs Committee is considering whether it can invite Mr Murrell to give evidence. He was sentenced to five years and three months in prison after being convicted of embezzling more than £400,000 from the SNP while serving as the party’s chief executive.
Ms Sturgeon, current First Minister John Swinney and former Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain could also be asked to appear before the committee.
Westminster select committees can require named witnesses to attend in person to provide oral evidence. They can also demand the production of specified documents and other papers.
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Those who refuse to give evidence or hand over requested material could ultimately face sanctions, including admonishment, fines and imprisonment.
Susan Murray, the Liberal Democrat spokesperson for Scottish affairs and another committee member, has previously backed calls for senior SNP and Scottish Government figures to be questioned.
One committee inquiry will examine the funding and governance of political parties in Scotland. MPs intend to focus in particular on the SNP’s finances and any use of public money connected to the Murrell embezzlement case.
A second investigation will consider the arguments for and against separating the Lord Advocate’s dual responsibilities. The role combines serving as the Scottish Government’s chief legal adviser with heading the prosecution service.
Harriet Cross said the public should receive answers to outstanding questions about Peter Murrell’s crimes
The SNP has been asked to respond to the comments from Ms Cross and Mr Burghart. It has also been asked whether Dave Doogan, its representative on the committee, would support inviting Ms Sturgeon and Mr Murrell to give evidence.
Mr Burghart also criticised an SNP proposal to introduce a price cap on a range of 20 to 50 supermarket products, including milk, bread, eggs and chicken.
He said: ‘It is economically illiterate, it is something that would be either unworkable or potentially very damaging to the supermarkets.
‘If Labour and the SNP want to help reduce the price of food in this country they should do something about the cost of energy and electricity, which is so essential for farmers and for retail and for the economy at large.’
Ms Cross claimed the SNP has only proposed the price cap because ‘they know it is a great wedge issue again to have a fight with Westminster because they want Westminster to say no’.
A Scottish Government spokesman said: ‘The cost of living crisis means that many families are struggling to put food on the table.
‘Ministers believe bold action to help households is necessary, which is why the Scottish Government has published draft legislation which aims to make essential food items more affordable for households struggling to pay for their weekly shop, particularly those on lower incomes.’
