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Operation Branchform is a Police Scotland investigation into possible fundraising fraud in the Scottish National Party (SNP) that was launched in 2021 and is still ongoing as of April 2024[update]. The investigation concerns allegations that £666,953 raised by the SNP since 2017 specifically to campaign for independence in a proposed second Scottish independence referendum was in part improperly spent on other activities.[1][2] The investigation has expanded to cover allegations of embezzlement, signature forgery, and misreporting of loans made to the party to the Electoral Commission.[3][4][5]
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The investigation has seen the arrest of former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell and former SNP Treasurer Colin Beattie in April 2023, and of former SNP leader and First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon in June 2023, all of whom were released pending further investigations. All three and the SNP as a whole deny any wrongdoing. On 18 April 2024, Peter Murrell was re-arrested and charged with embezzlement of funds in relation to the investigation.
As of February 2024, Police Scotland had spent over an estimated £1.3 million on the investigation according to a Freedom of Information release.[6]
^Macaskill, Mark (8 May 2022). "SNP £600,000 fundraising fraud allegations 'may have substance'". The Times.
^Gordon, Tom (13 July 2021). "Police launch 'fraud' probe into SNP fundraising". The Herald.
^Johnson, Simon (19 July 2023). "SNP investigation now looking into 'potential embezzlement', police chief suggests". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
^Ferguson, John (28 January 2024). "Police in SNP forgery probe amid claims signatures were falsified on documents". Daily Record. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
^Gordon, Tom (14 December 2022). "Sturgeon's husband in row over 'murky' £100,000 loan to SNP". The Herald.
^Elliards, Xander (22 February 2024). "Operation Branchform: Current cost of probe into SNP finances revealed". The National.
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