The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Ex-MP who embezzled indy funds is locked up
Former MP Natalie McGarry has been jailed for two years after pocketing more than £24,600 from two pro-Scottish independence groups.
McGarry, 41, spent the money on rent, takeaways, grocery shopping and a holiday to Spain.
The former Glasgow East SNP MP embezzled the cash, despite receiving money from friends, family and colleagues.
McGarry complained about being “skint” despite her £67,000 a year salary topped up with handouts from family including her aunt, former presiding officer Tricia Marwick.
Mum-of-one McGarry was caught following a financial probe into an independence group of which she was treasurer.
She was convicted in May of embezzling £19,974 while treasurer for Women for Independence (WFI) between April 26 2013 and November 30 2015.
McGarry also took £4,661 between April 9 2014 and August 10 2015 when she was treasurer, secretary and convenor of Glasgow Regional Association (GRA) of the SNP.
Jailing her, Sheriff Tom Hughes said: “You were a role model for aspiring politicians and you became an MP.
“By your involvement in these offences, you have not only betrayed the trust placed in you by others but your standards have fallen well short of what the public have the right to expect from politicians and MPs.”
McGarry showed no emotion as she was led to the cells.
A proceeds of crime hearing to recoup the cash will take place in August.
McGarry, originally from Inverkeithing and most recently of Clarkston, East Renfrewshire, had “categorically” denied the two charges at Glasgow Sheriff Court.
The court heard she helped found WFI in 2012 with former health secretary Jeane Freeman and ex-MSP Carolyn Leckie.
She became treasurer of the organisation and PayPal funds entered her personal bank account.
WFI raised more than £27,700 from three online crowdfunders between April and November 2014.
A “distressed” McGarry was loaned money meantime by Health Secretary Humza Yousaf, who heard she was going to be evicted that day.
Mr Yousaf said in evidence: “There was a reason her and her partner didn’t have access to the funds.
“I offered to give her a loan of funds about the £600 mark from the bank across the road.
“I made the transaction and the money was returned roughly in the timescale.”
McGarry remained in control of WFI finances as more money from further fundraisers and a donate button continued to enter her bank account.
The jury was shown a bank statement in which McGarry’s personal account had a balance of £10.74 – later topped up by a PayPal transfer of £1,700.
A £1,000 rent payment was then seen to come out of the account the following day.
WFI also footed the bill for part of McGarry’s fiveyear Amigo Loan of £5,000, as well as Tesco and Asda trips and purchases on Just Eat.
McGarry, who had “no regular income”, also went on holiday to Spain with her partner, then-Tory councillor David Meikle, and another couple during this time period.
McGarry transferred
£1,140 from her bank account on September 1 2014 to Mr Meikle, who had purchased flights and car hire two days before for £1,035.92.
Prosecutor Alistair Mitchell said to the jury in his closing speech: “The extravagance doesn’t matter, she took it dishonestly – it doesn’t matter if it was £20 or £20,000.”
Jurors were told McGarry also failed to pay charity Positive Prisons Positive Futures £360 from a WFI bucket collection and a similar collection for a Perth foodbank was not handed over.
This element of the charge was dropped before conviction, however.
McGarry continued her WFI treasurer role when she became an MP in spring 2015.
Her constituency office manager Rachel Mackie recalled: “She made a fortune, she was on a good salary and her partner was a councillor, she would be in the office complaining about being skint all the time.”
McGarry was still treasurer and convener of the GRA, where she was in sole control of the finances.
McGarry was seen to make cheques out to herself – one for £2,000 to pay for media training for election candidates, which the company did not receive.
She also kept refunds from parliamentary expenses body IPSA, including £600 for a constituency office survey and a £500 election deposit. McGarry meantime paid the survey firm and Shettleston SNP from the GRA purse.
McGarry had been handed pre-signed blank cheques to make such payments, as well as others made out to cash.
A WFI colleague stated to the jury that McGarry’s financial report at a 2015 AGM was “gobbledygook” and “not up to scratch”.
An overall total of £66,029 was put into her account from WFI sources.
A WFI financial probe in late 2015 discovered an income and expenditure gap of £31,824 and the matter was reported to the police. McGarry had only paid back £6,436.21 on September 2015 which was funded by a £6,500 loan from a friend.
McGarry’s house was raided by officers in May 2016 where a warrant was read through a door to McGarry who “took refuge” in her bathroom.
During the trial, McGarry stated that she was “overwhelmed” with doing the “donkey work” for WFI.
She added the money she had spent was for reimbursements for earlier payments she had personally made for WFI and the GRA.
She sobbed in the witness box as she said: “It’s been the most hellish experience I can possibly imagine.”
Her defence counsel Allan MacLeod told the sentencing hearing: “It is difficult to overstate the impact these offences had on her life.”