"Dorothy Bain told John Swinney in January that Murrell had been accused of embezzling almost 460,000 from the party, weeks before those details became public. Murrell, 61, is yet to make a plea, with a preliminary hearing scheduled for 25 May. Rejecting accusations of corruption, Bain told parliament she had sent the memo to protect the judicial process rather than influence it."
"In an urgent question, Labour's Michael Marra asked why details about the charge had been included in the memo, which was shared with senior civil servants and special advisers. He said the information "conferred clear political advantage" to Swinney and said it suggest "political interference" in the case. Marra claimed the positions of both the first minister and Bain had been "compromised"."
Dorothy Bain, the lord advocate, informed First Minister John Swinney in January that Peter Murrell had been accused of embezzling almost 460,000 from the party weeks before the allegation became public. Murrell, 61, has a preliminary hearing scheduled for 25 May and has yet to enter a plea. Bain told parliament she had no involvement in the case and that the memo was intended to protect the judicial process rather than influence it. MSPs from Labour and the Conservatives questioned why the charge details were shared with senior civil servants and special advisers, alleging political advantage and compromised neutrality.
Read at www.bbc.com
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