Cops probing Nicola Sturgeon over claims she blocked scrutiny of SNP finances amid fraud probe

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Police are investigating claims Nicola Sturgeon personally refused to open up the SNP’s finances to scrutiny.Detectives have been given emails which outline new claims about the former first minister in their inquiry into £600,000 of missing donations.Police have already arrested her husband - and former party chief executive - Peter Murrell in their investigation and are now looking at allegations about Sturgeon.It claimed she rejected a suggestion from senior officials to hire a fundraising manager who would have scrutiny and oversight of money being donated to the party.And today the details of a video of Sturgeon angrily rejecting concerns about finances can also be disclosed by the Sunday Mail.Scottish Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie said: “This bombshell revelation goes to show just how central Nicola Sturgeon was to the secrecy and culture of cover up that festered within the SNP.“Nicola Sturgeon has big questions to answer over her actions and Humza Yousaf must consider suspending her party membership and that of her husband, former Chief Executive Peter Murrell, until the investigation has been concluded.”The emails outlining Sturgeon’s block of the appointment of a fundraising manager stem from June 2021.That’s two months after the Sunday Mail reported police were investigating fraud allegations in relation to a £600,000 referendum fund which was supposed to be “ringfenced” but could not be accounted for.They show how the suggestion to hire a fundraising manager was made by the party’s former treasurer Douglas Chapman during his short tenure and backed by current treasurer Colin Beattie as part of a review into transparency and governance in 2021.They set out claims the idea was dismissed by Sturgeon with