NHS Tayside’s decision to delve into its charity fund could still result in legal proceedings, says the Health Secretary.
Shona Robison was asked whether the board’s “cooking of the books” could amount to criminal activity, during Holyrood’s public audit committee on Thursday.
Accountants Grant Thornton outlined a catalogue of financial mismanagement at NHS Tayside in a report published this week.
An ongoing investigation by charity regulator OSCR is looking at the use of endowment funds for general expenditure across Scotland, which Ms Robison said appears to have been confined to Tayside.
Bill Bowman, the Scottish Conservative MSP, asked what discussions there had been with Police Scotland about “any criminal wrongdoing in these matters”.
Ms Robison said: “If there’s any evidence within that (Grant Thornton) report or indeed the OSCR report coming forward that is criminal in nature, then clearly action would be taken on that basis.”
Christine McLaughlin, the government’s director of health finance, said: “There is nothing that I am aware of that has been put to us so far that is criminal, fraudulent or involves personal gain in anything that I have seen to date.
“But clearly if anything comes to light that will be something to be considered.”
