McConnell: I believe SNP broke the law over ferries scandal
A FORMER First Minister has claimed the Scottish Government has broken the law either ‘through incompetence’ or a ‘cover-up’ as the ferry fiasco continues.
Lord McConnell urged Police Scotland to take all allegations seriously and investigate the disastrous award of the contract for the two as yet unfinished vessels.
It comes as SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon was branded ‘arrogant’ by the former boss of the Ferguson Marine shipyard in Port Glasgow, Renfrewshire.
Ministers have failed to explain to Scotland’s spending watchdog why the SNP government overruled warnings from officials and awarded the £97million contract despite a lack of guarantee to protect against overspends and delays.
Missing papers that would explain the awarding of the contract have been a
‘Challenge the culture of poor governance’
source of fury from other politicians and the affair has been reported to the police.
Lord McConnell said: ‘These are lifeline ferries. Not a luxury but vital for islanders.
‘It seems someone in the SNP government has broken the law, either deliberately to cover up this shambles or through incompetence.
‘It is time to challenge this culture of poor governance in Scotland. Police Scotland need to demonstrate their independence by taking this seriously.’
The ferries, commissioned in 2015 to serve island communities, are now not expected to be finished until next year, five years after the original deadline, and the cost is likely to exceed a quarter of a billion pounds.
Former deputy SNP leader Jim Sillars has now reported Miss Sturgeon’s government to police after claiming three laws could have been broken by ministers or civil servants if the record of the decision went missing or was never created.
Mr Sillars, a former MP who is a longstanding critic of Miss Sturgeon’s leadership, said he had been ‘appalled’ by the debacle and reported the matter because it appeared no action had been taken by officers after a call by Labour’s Lord McConnell for an investigation.
Former owner of the shipyard Jim McColl has also accused the SNP leader of arrogance and a lack of objectivity.
At First Minister’s Questions last week, Miss Sturgeon was told her excuse for justifying the dodgy contract to Ferguson Marine had been ‘shredded’ after Mr McColl denied it had saved the yard from closure.
Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross asked: ‘First Minister hasn’t your main excuse just being shredded? Perhaps like that vital missing document?’
Miss Sturgeon replied: ‘Jim McColl is many things, but he’s not a disinterested, objective observer on these matters.’ But Mr McColl told the Sunday Times: ‘It is the Scottish Government that has failed to be objective in all this.’
A Scottish Government spokesman said: ‘This would be a matter for Police Scotland to consider.’ Police Scotland said: ‘We have received correspondence which will be responded to in due course.’