The Scottish Conservatives have called for an inquiry into the ongoing investigation of possible fundraising fraud by the Scottish National Party (SNP).
The Scottish Conservatives’ chief Whip Alexander Burnet wrote to the Presiding Officer Alison Johnstone, proposing a new committee to investigate Operation Branchform, the codename for the investigation into SNP finances.
Johnstone also serves as the convener of the parliamentary bureau, a Holyrood cross-party group responsible for proposing the establishment of committees and their respective remits and memberships.
Burnet’s letter referred to recent arrests of two senior SNP officials, “causing significant alarm to the public and the parliament.”
Former SNP Chief Executive Peter Murrell and former SNP Treasurer Colin Beattie were arrested in April 2023 in connection with Operation Branchform. Both were released without charge pending further investigation….