Former SNP treasurer ‘did not know’ about campervan

A FORMER SNP treasurer did not know about the purchase of a luxury £110,000 campervan bought with party money, it has been claimed.

Sources close to Douglas Chapman, who was the SNP treasurer for around six months, have briefed that he was kept in the dark about the acquisition of the motorhome, which has been seized by police.

Colin Beattie, the MSP who was treasurer before and after Mr Chapman’s brief tenure, has also denied knowing about the vehicle at the time it was bought, saying he became aware of its existence through the party’s 2021 accounts.

SNP sources have briefed that the vehicle was intended to be used as a “battle bus” at the 2021 Holyrood elections and was needed during the pandemic. However, it was never used for that purpose following the lifting of Covid restrictions.

The Niesmann + Bischoff vehicle was delivered to the Dunfermline home of then SNP chief executive Peter Murrell’s 92-year-old mother in January 2021, neighbours have said.

Mr Chapman was elected treasurer in late 2020 and stepped down in May the following year, complaining about a lack of transparency.

Mr Murrell, who is Nicola Sturgeon’s husband, and Mr Beattie were arrested as part of the probe into SNP finances. Both were released last month without charge pending further enquiries.

“Douglas did not know about [the camper van] when he was treasurer,” a source close to Mr Chapman told The

Times. It is unclear when or how he did find out about the purchase.

The revelation means that both Mr Beattie and Mr Chapman, who were responsible for scrutinising SNP finances, claim to have been unaware of the major purchase.

The vehicle was estimated to have been worth £110,000 and was listed as an asset worth £80,632 in the party’s accounts. Elsewhere in the financial statements it appears to have been recorded as “office/computer equipment”. It was impounded by police at the same time that they conducted raids on Ms Sturgeon and Mr Murrell’s home and SNP headquarters in Edinburgh.

A police warrant of items related to the investigation is said to have been more than 100 pages long.

Shortly after his arrest, Mr Beattie denied any knowledge of the vehicle, which Humza Yousaf, the First Minister, has confirmed belongs to the SNP.