John Swinney urged to apologise to former SNP members ‘bullied into quitting’ finance roles

John Swinney has been urged to apologise to former members of the SNP’s finance and audit committee who quit over concerns about financial governance.

It follows the sentencing of former chief executive Peter Murrell who was jailed for more than five years earlier this week after admitting embezzling £400,000 from the party he once ran.

Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay raised the experience of Allison Graham, Cynthia Guthrie and Frank Ross – two of whom were in the public gallery – during FMQs on Thursday.

He said the trio had tried to raise their concerns and were “bullied into quitting” after asking for “basic information”.

“Nicola Sturgeon ordered them to be quiet, John Swinney assured them there was no problem, the new victims minister [Kirsten Oswald] tried to bully these whistleblowers into silence – and they back in inquiry,” Findlay continued.

The statement from Graham, Guthrie and Ross “proves beyond any doubt that John Swinney and others enabled Peter Murrell’s crime”, he added.

Swinney has opposed the establishment of a parliamentary inquiry into the Murrell affair. He set out that stance again in response to Findlay, saying the MSP “wants an inquiry into the victims of this particular case”, meaning the SNP itself.

He said that he had taken steps to address issues relating to the party’s finances and it had “strong governance in place”.

He added: “I have apologised to members of the Scottish National Party for the events that have affected the party’s finances, and I reiterate that apology today. But the comments that Russell Findlay makes about me are baseless, utterly and totally baseless.”

Graham, Guthrie and Ross issued a joint statement earlier in the week, confirming they had resigned from their roles after just six weeks.

The trio were asked to support the finance and audit committee by then party treasurer Douglas Chapman but quit not long after due to concerns about the party’s “financial health and governance”.

Chapman also resigned two months later, claiming he had not been given access to the information he needed to do the job.

Graham has now told The Scottish Sun that she felt “bullied” by those high up in the SNP hierarchy, and the committee was “asking us to sign a blank cheque because Peter Murrell told us everything was fine”.