Treasurer of the Scottish governing party SNP arrested

The pressure on the Scottish governing party SNP due to financial imbalances is increasing. Police arrested SNP treasurer Colin Beattie on Tuesday.

The 71-year-old, who sits in the regional parliament for the Scottish National Party (SNP), will be questioned, the authority said. The case concerns a possible misappropriation of donations of nearly £667,000 (€756,000) earmarked for the SNP’s independence campaign.

Two weeks ago, former Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon’s husband, Peter Murrell, was temporarily arrested. Murrell had long been the party’s chief executive officer and was also responsible for the SNP’s finances. He was released without charge, but “subject to further investigation”. Authorities seized a mobile home that the SNP allegedly bought in 2021 as a campaign van.

Sturgeon is also under personal pressure because of the case. Her successor at the top of the party and government, Humza Yousaf, rejected calls to suspend the prominent politician from the SNP. The 38-year-old was due to give an overview of his government plans for the coming years at the Edinburgh regional parliament on Wednesday. Top SNP politicians recently denied reports of the party’s financial problems. (oee/sda/dpa)