Ex-MP Natalie McGarry's financial report was 'gobbledegook', court hears

An ex-employee of a Scottish independence organisation has told a jury that Natalie McGarry's financial report was "gobbledegook."

Kathleen Caskie, 56, claimed that she tried to bury McGarry's "embarrassing" report to committee members at Women For Independence (WFI) in early 2015.

The witness claimed she was also given the run-around by McGarry who failed to pay a charity with funds raised, as well as venues for WFI events.

McGarry, 40, who represented Glasgow East at Westminster for the SNP, allegedly stole more than £25,000 from two organisations advocating for Scottish independence between April 2013 and August 2015.

McGarry allegedly embezzled £21,000 while treasurer for Women for Independence between April 26, 2013 and November 30, 2015.

Caskie, who stepped down from the WFI committee to become an employee, told jurors that she was tasked with speaking at an AGM in March 2015 which McGarry did not initially attend.

The witness claimed that she briefly mentioned McGarry's financial report and "no attention was drawn to it."

Caskie said: “She attended as a keynote speaker but she didn’t come to present the financial report - it was left to me.

“I felt it was an unorganised report - I hoped that no one asked me questions - it was embarrassing.”

Prosecutor Alistair Mitchell asked: “How?”

Caskie: “It was gobbledygook, it didn’t say the time period or the balance going forward - it wasn’t up to scratch.”

The witness said the report was in a wrong format and did not contain information about money in or money out. 

A bucket collection at the conference was said to have raised £653.56.

It was decided £326 of the funds would go to the Positive Prisons Positive Futures charity.

An email exchange was shown to the court, with charity member Pete White passing over the charity's bank details. 

An email a month later was shown from White stating that the money had not arrived.

Mitchell said: “It’s agreed that the charity did not receive a donation from WFI, were you aware of that?”

Caskie responded: “I’m not, that’s a shame.” 

The witness stated that WFI hosted events in Stirling and in Maryhill, Glasgow in 2015.

Stirling Council were shown to have chased WFI for an unpaid invoice for £326 for a venue they owned.

Mitchell said: "Were you aware if the payments made their way to these venues?"

Caskie replied: "To be honest, I was lied to, I was told repeatedly that cheques had been sent and it turned out they hadn't been sent at all."

"She was telling me any kind of rubbish, she was going to pay it and none of his was true."

Mitchell: "You were told by Natalie McGarry these events had been paid for?"

Caskie: "Several times I was given the run-around, I was really angry."

The witness believed that the organisation could have been potentially damaged and that it was an “upsetting time.”

She added: “When you realise someone is lying to you, you don’t want someone to lie to you, you want to believe them and I was being played for an absolute fool.”

Caskie claimed that the newly elected committee members, which included academics, requested financial figures from her.

She said: “These were not stupid women - they were looking at this going ‘what is this nonsense?’”

Caskie said she prepared her own financial report for WFI detailing income and expenditure.

The report shown to the jury showed an income of £64,000, expenditure of £35,700 with cash in the bank of £1,500 and £26,000 unaccounted for.

Caskie said: “We were really surprised why it [cash in bank] was so low - it made no sense.”

Allan Macleod, defending, put it to Caskie that she had told the police that in 2013 WFI was being run in a "chaotic fashion" by McGarry and Shona McAlpine.

She replied: "Yes, it was chaotic, as decisions were not being made properly through the committee - there was a great need for greater order."

A second charge states McGarry took £4,661 between April 9, 2014 and August 10, 2015 when she was treasurer, secretary and convenor of Glasgow Regional Association of the SNP.

McGarry denies the two charges.

The trial continues before Sheriff Tom Hughes.