Top mandarin accused of ‘dodging questions’ over SNP police probe
SCOTLAND’S top civil servant has been accused of ‘dodging basic questions’ about whether Nicola Sturgeon had told him she or her husband were being investigated by police.
Permanent Secretary JohnPaul Marks was asked if the former First Minister had disclosed that she and former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell were subject to a police probe.
But he ignored the question for a month before treating it as a Freedom of Information (FOI) request. Government officials then claimed not to know the answer.
Police Scotland searched Ms Sturgeon and Mr Murrell’s house in April as part of a probe into the SNP’s finances. Mr Murrell was arrested and later released pending further investigation.
Hours after the arrest, Labour MSP Daniel Johnson wrote to the Permanent Secretary asking if the former SNP leader had informed him of any police investigation.
He wrote: ‘There is significant public interest in this case which is why transparency is important.
I would appreciate if you can clarify whether the former First Minister advised you of Police Scotland’s interest in either her or her husband, Peter Murrell.’
The Government eventually replied a month later and said it was treating his letter as a request for information under FOI laws. On May 5, an official replied: ‘In response to your request, the Scottish Government does not have the information requested.’
Mr Johnson said: ‘This entire debacle is shrouded in the secrecy we have all come to expect from the SNP. The public deserve to know who knew what and when.
‘The Scottish Government must stop dodging basic questions and come clean.’ Tory MSP Craig Hoy added: ‘It’s disappointing but not surprising that John-Paul Marks has avoided questions about the circumstances surrounding the probe into the SNP’s finances.
‘Shunning scrutiny and saying nothing is the party’s default position whenever there are awkward questions – and it now appears the civil service is adopting a similar strategy.
‘But this is a major criminal investigation, and this approach won’t cut it with the police. Everyone questioned by Police Scotland has a duty to fully cooperate.
‘As Scotland’s top civil servant, John-Paul Marks must stop dodging legitimate questions on the issue and be transparent with both the police and the public.
‘He must come clean on whether Nicola Sturgeon told him about the police investigation into both herself and her husband.’
The Scottish Government said: ‘Given there is a live police investigation, it would be inappropriate to comment.’ A spokesman for Ms Sturgeon added: ‘It is not appropriate to comment on a live police investigation.’