THE SNP will not be paying Peter Murrell’s legal fees because he is no longer the party’s chief executive, Humza Yousaf has declared.
The party confirmed last night that it was not currently paying any fees for Mr Murrell, who is married to Nicola Sturgeon, but was unclear about possible future payments.
Mr Murrell was arrested and questioned by police investigating the SNP’s finances last Wednesday, and the Glasgow home he shares with Ms Sturgeon was searched.
On the same day, officers in seized a luxury £110,000 motorhome from outside the Dunfermline house of Mr Murrell’s widowed 92-year-old mother.
The force is investigating if £660,000 raised by the SNP specifically to fight a second independence referendum was spent on other things.
Mr Yousaf previously said that the party may have “obligations” to pay any legal fees incurred by Mr Murrell, who was chief executive for 20 years.
He quit last month after SNP HQ misled the media about falling membership figures.
It emerged last week that the party has engaged the leading lawyer Stuart Munro, whose expertise includes “white collar crime” and “allegations of financial crime”.
READ MORE: SNP hid resignation of auditors for six months, Humza Yousaf reveals
Some SNP MSPs and MPs were reportedly unhappy at the thought of their monthly levy to the party being used on Mr Murrell’s fees.
Speaking to the media on a visit to the Nova Innovation solar panel workshop in Leith, Mr Yousaf was asked if the party would be paying Mr Murrell’s legal fees and replied: “No.”
Asked why, he said: “He's no longer the chief executive of the party.
“We've taken a decision as a party not to pay those legal fees given he's no longer the chief executive of the party. I think that's pretty reasonable.”
Mr Yousaf also revealed that Mr Murrell had not been suspended as a party member.
He said: “I operate on the premise that people are innocent until proven guilty. He’s obviously been questioned, as we know, under caution.”
Asked if it would be better if Mr Murrell voluntarily gave up his membership, as sex pest row MP Patrick Grady did, Mr Yousaf said: “I’m not asking Peter Murrell to resign or suspend his membership. I tend to operate on the premise that people are innocent until proven guilty.
READ MORE: Humza Yousaf says SNP in 'period of transition' after police raids
“Now, obviously, he's been questioned under caution. That's not a small matter. But let's see where the police investigation goes.”
He also said he had not had contact with Ms Sturgeon or Mr Murrell since the police searched the couple’s Glasgow home.
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