Fraud probe into former MP Thomson ‘not easy’ for SNP, says Sturgeon
NICOLA Sturgeon yesterday claimed a fraud investigation involving a former SNP MP was ‘not easy’ for the party.
Michelle Thomson was forced to resign the party whip in 2015 five months after being elected to Westminster when it emerged a number of her property deals were being probed by police.
Last week, the 52-year-old was told she will not be prosecuted and has since demanded an apology from the First Minister over her treatment.
Mrs Thomson claims she was given ‘no support’ during a ‘frightening, disturbing and alarming’ time.
But yesterday Miss Sturgeon disputed
‘A situation not of our choosing’
her former colleague’s take on events, saying the police probe had not been an ‘easy situation’ for the party.
The SNP was plunged in chaos in September 2015 just months after winning 56 seats in the General Election after it emerged there was a police inquiry focusing on solicitor Christopher Hales.
He was struck off after he acted for Mrs Thomson’s property firm in deals which raised questions about possible mortgage fraud.
The Edinburgh West MP was one of five people reported to prosecutors last December, but last week the Crown Office said there would be no prosecution due to an absence of ‘credible and reliable evidence’.
Mrs Thomson has since spoken of her ordeal and claims she was forced out of the SNP and left to deal with the situation by herself.
She says she has not heard from Miss Sturgeon during this time and has called for an apology from the First Minister.
However, asked about Mrs Thomson’s account, Miss Sturgeon said ‘clearly on some aspects I would take a different view’, but did not want to go into detail.
She added: ‘I regret very much that we were confronted with a situation where one of our newly-elected MPs was facing serious allegations – of course I regret that.
‘It wasn’t a situation of my making, it wasn’t a situation clearly I would have chosen to be in. And I appreciated that what followed, the investigation that took place, was not easy for Michelle Thomson and it wouldn’t have been easy for anyone in that situation.
‘But I think people would also appreciate that it wasn’t a particularly easy situation for the party to be in either.’
She added: ‘Michelle is now, happily, in the position where she can put this behind her. She has been cleared of any wrongdoing and I am sure she is very relieved about that so we can now look forward and have a discussion directly with her.’
In interviews at the weekend Mrs Thomson said she was approached by Finance Secretary Derek Mackay after details of the probe emerged and he suggested she resign the party whip.
She said: ‘I did protest but I was kind of led to believe that if I didn’t do that gracefully things would be even worse.’
But Deputy First Minister John Swinney insisted that ‘the decision to withdraw from the party whip was Mrs Thomson’s decision’, adding that it was ‘taken as a consequence of conversations with those responsible for conduct matters within the party’.
Last night Mrs Thomson said: ‘Both Nicola Sturgeon and I recognise this was a situation not of our choosing.
‘It is now nearly a week since the news broke that I had been exonerated and I will be happy to have a frank and confidential discussion with Nicola Sturgeon about my return to the SNP. I look forward to hearing from her.’