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Lord Advocate denies giving First Minister ‘political advantage’ in Murrell case
Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain informed First Minister John Swinney on January 19 of Peter Murrell's indictment for embezzling nearly £460,000, sparking calls for parliamentary scrutiny.
- An unredacted minute sent on January 19 stated that the Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain confirmed Murrell had been indicted and a trial date was being fixed for March 2027, asserting it did not confer political advantage.
- After publication on February 13, opposition MSPs said the early briefing conferred a 'political advantage' and demanded Bain attend Holyrood for scrutiny.
- Records list alleged misuse including a £124,550 motorhome, £81,610.19 of Amazon spending, and £57,500 towards an £81,000 Jaguar I-Pace from August 12, 2010, to January 13, 2023.
- After publication, the court moved the hearing to May 25, at the High Court in Edinburgh, agreed by an independent judge, with trial scheduled for 2027.
- Critics argue the Lord Advocate’s dual role as top prosecutor and government legal adviser creates a conflict of interest, prompting calls to split the role and increase parliamentary scrutiny of John Swinney.
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Scottish independence is sneaking up on Westminster
The stars are, just possibly, aligning for the SNP. The trial of Peter Murrell, its former chief executive, who has been charged with embezzling £459,046.49 of party funds, has been delayed until two weeks after May’s election. An uncomfortable experience, to put it mildly, has been narrowly avoided during a sensitive time. What’s more, the Greens, Scotland’s other main pro-independence party, have decided to stand in just a dozen constituency s…
·London, United Kingdom
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Coverage Details
Total News Sources12
Leaning Left5Leaning Right2Center3Last UpdatedBias Distribution50% Left
Bias Distribution
- 50% of the sources lean Left
50% Left
L 50%
C 30%
R 20%
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