FORMER MP Natalie McGarry has appeared in court charged with embezzling more than £41,500.

The 36-year-old is accused of transferring fundraising cash into her personal account – as well as failing to pass on donations to a food bank.

Ms McGarry appeared in private at Glasgow Sheriff Court under her married name, Natalie Meikle.

Prosecutors claim she embezzled money while treasurer of the Women for Independence group (WFI) – which she helped found in 2012 – and while also treasurer, secretary and convener of the SNP’s Glasgow Regional Association.

She faces three charges of embezzlement, two charges of filing inaccurate spending returns from the Scottish independence referendum, and a failure to disclose “encrypted electronic data”.

The former Glasgow East MP – who was one of 56 SNP MPs elected in 2015’s General Election landslide – made no plea and was released on bail.

Papers from the court allege that between January 2012 and November 2015 Ms McGarry, in the course of her role as treasurer for WFI, embezzled £33,011.

It’s claimed she transferred funds raised through fundraising events into her personal account, and failed to transfer charitable donations to the Perth and Kinross food bank and to Positive Prison Positive Futures.

It is also alleged she used cheques held in the name of WFI to deposit money into her own account, as well as embezzling £4,661 between January 2011 and May 2016.

During her role with the SNP’s Glasgow Regional Association, she is accused of using cheques in its name and donations for her own use.

The third embezzlement charge – totalling £3,892 – allegedly took place between November 2012 and June 2014.

Ms McGarry is accused of transferring money raised through an online crowdfunding campaign into her own account. The crowdfunding page, which she set up, said it was to raise money for “Yes Glasgow”.

She also faces a charge that in December 2014 she submitted a return “purporting to be the true expenditure incurred by Women for Independence”.

It is claimed she falsely stated the total referendum campaign expenditure was £24,604, knowing that it was £10,346.

Another charge alleges that in December 2014 she delivered a return for referendum expenses that did not conform to the requirements.

It is claimed she falsely stated that to the best of her knowledge and belief, it was complete and correct and the expenditure detailed had been paid by her or someone authorised by her.

Ms McGarry faces a final charge of failing to provide a passcode for a mobile phone seized from her by police, in August 2016.

The mother-of-one, who is married to Glasgow Tory councillor David Meikle, is expected to return to court at a later date.

She was selected as the SNP candidate for Glasgow East in the 2015 general election, going on to defeat Labour’s Margaret Curran by 10,387 votes.

But she resigned the party whip just six months later after allegations began to emerge over a missing five-figure sum at WFI. She sat as an independent until May 2017.

Ms McGarry was previously represented by high-profile lawyer Aamer Anwar, but the pair parted company last year.

In 2016, she was forced to pay out £10,000 and admit to a “serious mistake” after wrongly accusing a pro-Union campaigner of being a “Holocaust denier” on social media.