Tasmina faces quiz over law firm cash
SNP refuses to suspend candidate who failed to reveal inquiry to voters
LEADING SNP candidate Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh is being investigated over allegations of financial impropriety, the Scottish Daily Mail can reveal today.
The senior Nationalist yesterday confirmed she is at the centre of an official probe by the Law Society of Scotland – hours after the inquiry into professional misconduct was first disclosed by this paper.
It has now emerged that the review of her time at Hamilton Burns WS, the law firm where she was a director before becoming an MP, relates to financial matters.
Yesterday, in a series of new developments:
Mrs Ahmed-Sheikh confirmed that she is co-operating with the investigation;
Nicola Sturgeon rejected calls to suspend her, insisting she is ‘absolutely confident in her as a candidate’;
It emerged that Mrs AhmedSheikh has known about the inquiry for months but failed to declare it publicly before being ratified as the SNP’s candidate for Ochil and North Perthshire in next month’s General Election;
The First Minister refused to say whether she knew about the probe before letting her stand;
It emerged that the politician could be hauled in front of judges at a public tribunal to answer questions about her time at Hamilton Burns WS.
After the Mail’s revelations, Miss Sturgeon faced calls to suspend Mrs Ahmed-Sheikh until the investigation is concluded.
The First Minister insisted that she will remain on the ballot paper as an SNP candidate.
But concerns will grow today after the Mail learned the inquiry relates to ‘financial impropriety’.
Yesterday, Labour MSP James Kelly wrote to Miss Sturgeon to raise concerns about the ‘serious and troubling’ revelations.
He said: ‘The voters in Ochil and South Perthshire need immediate answers on this – they cannot go to the polls without all information being made available.’
He said Mrs Ahmed Sheikh should be immediately suspended and asked when Miss Sturgeon or any Nationalist MP, MSP or official became aware of the probe.
He added: ‘If these allegations are correct, will you suspend Mrs Ahmed-Sheikh as an SNP General Election candidate until the investigation concludes and reports its findings?’
An SNP spokesman yesterday refused to say when Mrs AhmedSheikh first informed the party.
The Mail understands the former lawyer would have been told of the complaint several months ago – yet chose to not provide details to her constituents.
All complaints about lawyers’ conduct are made to the Scottish Legal Complaints Commission, which normally takes four and a half months to assess whether to refer a case to the Law Society of Scotland. A lawyer named in the complaint is always informed soon after it is received. The Law Society of Scotland has launched a full investigation, a process which takes several months.
It will now judge whether the case should be referred to the Professional Conduct Committee, which can issue a warning or recommend prosecution by the Scottish Solicitors’ Discipline Tribunal (SSDT). If referred to the SSDT, Mrs Ahmed-Sheikh would have to attend a public hearing, where she would face cross-examination in front of judges.
The SSDT can censure, suspend or strike off a lawyer – and decide whether to refer a matter to police. In the past full year, 45 cases have been sent to the Procurator Fiscal for criminal prosecution.
Tory MSP Murdo Fraser said: ‘It would be utterly unacceptable for the SNP to try to brush this under the carpet.
‘For once, they need to be straight with people. If an investigation has been launched, then the SNP should do exactly as they did with their former MP Michelle Thomson and suspend Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh.’
Yesterday, Mrs Ahmed-Sheikh said she was ‘proud’ of her 17-year legal career, adding: ‘Issues have been raised with the Law Society in relation to administrative matters during my time at my former firm. The Law Society has a duty to uphold professional standards and they must be allowed to do so without prejudice. In the meantime, I’m getting on with fighting this election campaign.’
Miss Sturgeon said: ‘There are hundreds of issues raised with the Law Society every year and the Law Society has to investigate them, so Tasmina is co-operating with that investigation and I know she is confident about a satisfactory outcome.
‘It doesn’t surprise me to hear my opposition are political pointscoring. I am absolutely confident in her as a candidate.’
‘Serious and troubling’ ‘Professional standards’