Yes Scotland hands accounts to police after 'missing £1.5m' complaint

Yes Scotland, the group which campaigned for independence in the 2014 referendum, says it has handed over its full accounts to the police after a complaint was made about its finances.

The Sunday Mail first reported on an allegation that it was not known how income of more than £1.5m had been spent by the organisation.

The complaint was made by David Henry, who was one of those whose concerns about the SNP's finances led to the eventual conviction of former chief executive Peter Murrell.

Lawyers for former Yes Scotland chief executive Blair Jenkins said the allegations were false and that all of the income received by Yes Scotland had been fully accounted for.

"This story was based on a very basic misunderstanding of accounts and Yes Scotland's financial statements," Jenkins' solicitor Aamer Anwar said.

"All of the income received by Yes Scotland is fully accounted for and it is grossly defamatory to say otherwise.

"There appears to have been a desperate attempt to link Peter Murrell's criminal conduct in the SNP to the financial affairs of Yes Scotland.

"To make it perfectly clear, Mr Murrell never at any time had access to Yes Scotland's accounts."

David Henry told the Sunday Mail that the campaign company's accounts from 2016 onward showed a zero balance and £1.5m which was recorded earlier appeared to have "just gone".

He is due to meet with seniors officers at Fettes Police Station in Edinburgh later.

Police Scotland previously said its inquiries into Henry's complaint were ongoing.

Yes Scotland Ltd, which was launched by former SNP leader and First Minister Alex Salmond to campaign for independence ahead of the referendum, has not been active since 2014.

Its latest set of dormant accounts were published last year, showing a zero balance.

Yes Scotland previously pointed BBC Scotland to the audited referendum returns which are available online.

Figures published by the Electoral Commission show that Yes Scotland reported receiving donations of more than £2.6m and spent more than £1.4m during the referendum campaign.

The pro-union Better Together campaign reported receiving almost £3.7m in donations and spent more than £1.4m.

Aamer Anwar said full sets of Yes Scotland accounts for 2013, 2014 and 2015 were voluntarily provided to Police Scotland on 13 July.

"To be clear, there is no 'missing' £1.5m," he said.

"But what is missing is any explanation as to why it did not occur to those making the allegations that the £1.5m represents spending by the campaign."

The SNP has said Yes Scotland Ltd was an "entirely separate organisation" from the party.

It comes after the party's former chief executive Peter Murrell was jailed for more than five years after he admitted embezzling more than £400,000 from the party over five years.

Police Scotland and the Crown Office investigated Murrell's actions in Operation Branchform.