THE SNP’s former treasurer has defended the party’s finances as being “in the black” - but said he did not know about the purchase of a luxury motorhome seized by police.
Colin Beattie, who was arrested and released without charge last week, also told reporters he had no comment on whether he should be suspended by the SNP - and "being under artillery fire" in Beirut was worse than what was currently happening.
When asked if he knew about the motorhome, which was confiscated from the home of former SNP chief Peter Murrell's mum, and whether he had signed the purchase off, he said: “No I didn’t know about it.”
Beattie stepped down as treasurer of the party last week following his arrest as part of the police probe into the SNP’s finances, with SNP MP Stuart McDonald subsequently appointed as his replacement.
Colin Beattie has a fantastic response when asked if being arrested was the worst thing that ever happened to him pic.twitter.com/hSzWXiuGAU
— The National (@ScotNational) April 25, 2023
Asked if he resigned or if he was sacked as treasurer, he responded: “No comment on that. What I would like to say is obviously you are hoping that I might give you some additional information, some point of view that might help develop the story that is out there.
“Unfortunately it is an ongoing police investigation so there is very little I can say.”
He went to state: “The SNP is in the black. They are a going concern, definitely.”
When asked why the party was having difficulty in finding auditors, he said: “Apparently that is the market situation.”
Beattie has also stepped down as a member of Holyrood's Public Audit Committee, but said he no plans at the moment to quit the Economy and Fair Work Committee, of which he is deputy convener.
In response to a question of whether he was a proper person to be on Holyrood committees, he said: “I would say so – that’s my opinion.”
And when asked if this was the worst thing that happened to him, he said: “No, I was in Beirut actually when I was under artillery fire. That was worse.”
