Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Former MP McGarry banked cash before paying rent, court told
A FORMER SNP MP, accused of embezzling more than £25,000, transferred thousands of pro-independence group funds from her bank account before paying rent, a court has heard.
Natalie McGarry, 40, said the payments were “legitimate” transfers for what she was owed in expenses.
McGarry, who represented Glasgow East, allegedly embezzled £21,000 while treasurer for Women for Independence (WFI) between April 26 2013 and November 30 2015.
A second charge alleges she took £4,661 between April 9 2014 and August 2015 when she was treasurer, secretary and convener of the Glasgow Regional Association (GRA) of the SNP.
McGarry, who is on trial at Glasgow Sheriff Court, denies both charges.
On April 29 2014, McGarry transferred £10,472.54 raised in a fundraiser for WFI projects into her own bank account.
Prosecutor Alistair Mitchell showed McGarry bank statements and said: “The first thing you did was make a payment for your rent. You had £50 in your account prior to that.”
McGarry said: “I would not have used the money had I not legitimately spent the money. By this point in April, we had spent a lot of money sending out the [WFI] packs and purchasing other things. I was due money back from WFI.”
She then added: “I am perfectly content that when these monies were paid I had already spent them on WFI purposes.”
McGarry also told the court she had a spreadsheet saved to her iCloud which accounted for her personal outgoings and WFI spending.
Mr Mitchell asked McGarry why this information was not provided to WFI as proof of spending. She said her phone with the documents were taken as part of the investigation by police and when she got it back, some documents – including the spreadsheet – had been removed.
The trial continues.