A SENIOR Conservative politician has used special rules protecting MPs’ freedom of speech to level allegations of criminality at former first minister Nicola Sturgeon.
Tory MP David Davis, a friend of the late former SNP leader Alex Salmond, claimed in the House of Commons that Sturgeon and her allies had orchestrated sexual offence allegations against Salmond in a bid to “hide their own crimes”.
Davis further alleged that Sturgeon had known about and enabled her estranged husband Peter Murrell’s embezzlement from the SNP.
In a statement issued through her lawyer, Sturgeon responded: “This member of the ‘Old Boys Club’ has been spreading conspiracy theories on behalf of the late Alex Salmond since 2021 – and now he is telling more lies about me.
“The fact that he hides like a coward behind the legal privilege of Westminster says everything we need to know about him.”
MPs are protected in the Commons by “absolute privilege”, which means they cannot be taken to court for statements which may be defamatory or untrue. Media outlets are covered by “qualified privilege”, which protects fair and accurate reporting of MPs’ statements in parliament.
In the Commons, Davis said: “Last month's sentencing of Nicola Sturgeon's husband exposed the real reasons behind the Scottish Government's persecution of Alex Salmond.
“From 2010 to 2022, Peter Murrell abused his position to embezzle almost half a million from the SNP to buy luxury items.
“He used the SNP money to buy a £33,000 Volkswagen Volkswagen Golf. Then he stole £57,000 to buy a Jaguar car. Further luxuries included handbags, an £850 gold pendant, four separate coffee machines costing £9000, luxury kitchenware, at least 26 fountain pens costing nearly £21,000, and two £350 Dyson hairdryers for a man with no hair. Really?
“Then of course the infamous £124,000 motorhome.
“Did Sturgeon not wonder where he got the money for all those vehicles, the kitchenware, the handbags, the pens, the pendants she loved? After all, who used the Dyson hairdryers in that household?
“My view on her denials is clear. She is lying. She knew full well what her husband was doing and how those luxury purchases were funded.”
Davis further alleged that the sexual assault allegations levelled at Salmond, of which he was cleared by a jury at the Edinburgh High Court in 2020, had been orchestrated in a bid to cover up for Murrell’s crimes.
The Tory MP said: “In Salmond's own words, there was a malicious and concerted attempt to remove him from public life in Scotland by a range of individuals within the Scottish Government.”
He went on: “The senior Scottish Government figures created a procedure for dealing with sexual harassment allegations that deliberately targeted Salmond. That procedure was so biased that a judge ruled it unlawful and tainted by apparent bias.
“So having lost that, they brought prosecutions against him. But Salmond was acquitted on all charges by a majority female jury before a female judge.
“It now appears clear that these actions to destroy a man's reputation and life were motivated by a desire to hide their own crimes.
“There are many unresolved questions, but what happened with £60,000 pounds of items dropped from the indictment? The hairstylers, the lingerie, the books by Sturgeon's favourite authors.
“Murrell was clearly protecting Sturgeon by removing items that incriminated her.”
Murrell – the chief executive of the SNP from 2001 to 2023 – was last month jailed for five years after he pleaded guilty to embezzling around £400,000 from the party between 2010 and 2022.
Initially, charges said that Murrell had embezzled £460,000 between 2010-2023, but this was reduced in the plea deal struck with prosecutors.
Davis finished: “There's a clear pattern of secrecy, obstruction, and power used to protect power, a pattern started by Sturgeon.
“Scotland needs a fresh start. That starts with a judicial inquiry into this entire sordid scandal because it's a scandal that cost Alex Salmond his life.”
Sturgeon was not charged with any crime following the lengthy police investigation into the SNP which ultimately uncovered her husband’s embezzlement.
She has consistently denied any wrongdoing or knowledge of her now-estranged husband’s wrongdoing.
In a statement issued after Murrell’s guilty plea in May, Sturgeon said: "I am angry, hurt, sad and very distressed about the impact of his actions on family, friends, and the SNP.
"To be deceived and let down by a husband I loved and trusted has caused me acute pain. Why he acted as he did is, and always will be, beyond my comprehension."
She went on: "To be clear: I had no knowledge or suspicion whatsoever that he was using SNP funds for personal purposes. I am utterly appalled that he did so and cannot begin to understand why. That I was fully cleared after a thorough investigation underlines that these are not my crimes. I was misled just as others were.
"I know that there will be political discussion in light of what has happened, and I understand why. However, for me this has also been a profound personal trauma. I need to remain focused on recovering from that and building a new phase of life. I will be making no further comment."
