SNP finances are under scrutiny after it emerged Peter Murrell, who is married to Nicola Sturgeon, gave the party a huge loan to help with cash flow problems.
Mr Murrell, the SNP’s chief executive, lent £107,000 to bolster party coffers in the aftermath of last year’s Holyrood election.
The SNP has denied any wrongdoing while rivals in Holyrood demand more transparency.
The focus comes as police continue to investigate separate accusations of fraud over claims funds donated for an independence campaign had gone “missing”.
1. Why did Peter Murrell make this loan?
Mr Murrell’s role as the party chief’s executive means he was effectively handing over more than £100,000 of his personal money to his own employer.
The Scottish Tories said it was “beyond odd” for Mr Murrell to be lending cash to his own workplace.
Meanwhile, Scottish Labour said the loan was “highly irregular”.
When asked for a reason behind the donation, the SNP said it was to boost funds after an expensive election.
2. Why did the SNP need money from him?
Claims from the party that Mr Murrell gave them money to help with cash flow issues raise questions over the health of the SNP’s finances.
The SNP spent just under £1.5 million during its campaign for last year’s Holyrood election.
The country’s governing party made a loss of more than £750,000 across the whole of 2021, bringing in £4,510,460 but spending £5,262,032.
According to the Electoral Commission, just over £47,000 of the loan given to the SNP by its chief executive has been paid back.
That means Mr Murrell is still owed more than half the money he lent the party 18 months ago.
3. Why was this loan not initially declared?
Mr Murrell gave the loan to the SNP on June 20 last year, just over a month after the Scottish Parliament election.
While it was included in the SNP’s annual accounts, the Electoral Commission was not made aware until August this year.
The loan was first reported by the pro-independence Wings Over Scotland website.
An SNP spokesperson said: “The nature of this transaction was initially not thought to give rise to a reporting obligation.
“However, as it had been recorded in the party’s 2021 accounts as a loan, it was accordingly then reported to the Electoral Commission as a regulated transaction.”
4. How is Nicola Sturgeon responding?
The first minister walked away from journalists in Holyrood when she was questioned over the controversial donation as it emerged before Christmas.
She repeated he had made a “personal contribution” to the SNP as a supporter.
Given she is married to Mr Murrell, it’s unknown if Ms Sturgeon was aware of this temporary donation being made at the time.
The question resurfaced on February 6 when Ms Sturgeon published recent tax returns.
Asked when she first became aware of the loan, the first minister said she “can’t recall”.
At a press conference in Edinburgh she said: “My husband is an individual and he will take decisions about what he does with resources that belong to him.”
Ms Sturgeon was also asked if money belonged solely to her husband.
“The resources that he leant to the party were resources that belonged to him,” she added.
5. Is the SNP being transparent?
Controversy over Mr Murrell’s loan is entirely separate to a police probe into alleged donation fraud.
Some party supporters claimed £600,000 which was supposed to be saved for an independence referendum had been filtered elsewhere.
More than a dozen complaints were made.
Police Scotland said a report had been submitted to the Crown Office and said inquiries continue.
Douglas Chapman, the SNP MP for Dunfermline and West Fife, resigned as the party’s national treasurer last May after being brought in to improve transparency.
He said: “Despite having a resounding mandate from members to introduce more transparency into the party’s finances, I have not received the support or financial information to carry out the fiduciary duties of National Treasurer.”
A police spokesperson said: “A report which outlines enquiries already undertaken and seeks further instruction has been submitted to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service.
“We are working closely with COPFS as the investigation continues.”
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