SNP treasurer arrested as part of funding investigation

The treasurer of the Scottish National Party was taken into custody by police on Tuesday (18), a party official said.

This was part of a probe into the finances of the pro-independence party that is currently in power. The police did not disclose the name of the 71-year-old man who was arrested as a suspect in their ongoing investigation.

However, the party official, who preferred to remain anonymous, identified the arrested person as Colin Beattie, the SNP treasurer.

The police have stated that the individual is being questioned by detectives and since the investigation is still ongoing, they cannot provide any further comments.

The SNP did not have any immediate comment on the arrest but has previously said in relation to the inquiry that it is cooperating with the police.

The investigation is looking at what happened to more than £600,000 raised by Scottish independence campaigners in 2017, which was supposed to have been ring-fenced but may have been used for other purposes.

The arrest comes as the SNP, Scotland's dominant political party, faces deepening questions about their governance and finances.

The longest serving leader of Scotland's semi-autonomous government, Nicola Sturgeon, caught the political world by surprise when she announced her resignation in February, sparking a divisive race to succeed her.

Humza Yousaf, who won the contest last month, is now battling to restore the party's credibility and trying to find new auditors ahead of a July deadline.

Peter Murrell, Sturgeon's husband and the party's former chief executive, was also arrested and then released without charge earlier this month as part of the investigation into the party's finances.

Polls show support for the SNP and Scottish independence has dropped since Sturgeon's departure.

Beattie is the long-serving treasurer of the SNP, having held the post between 2004 until 2020, and then again since 2021.

Police Scotland said a report would be sent to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, Scotland’s prosecutors.

(Reuters)