Alba Party claims financial difficulties are due to fraud
Party is unlikely to field candidates in May's Holyrood election
Four senior Alba members offered to take over the party
Police have been investigating financial irregularities since May last year
📖 Full Retelling
Alba Party leader Kenny MacAskill announced in Scotland this weekend that the pro-independence party was unlikely to field candidates in May's Holyrood election due to financial difficulties he claims resulted from fraud, as Police Scotland continues investigating alleged financial irregularities in the party's finances since May last year. MacAskill explained to BBC Radio Scotland Breakfast that the party was in a "very difficult position" and currently unable to meet all its financial obligations or fund an election campaign, despite having asked the Electoral Commission about the possibility of fielding candidates. The financial crisis comes as four senior Alba members - Tommy Sheridan, Angus MacNeil, Christina Hendry and Suzanne Blackley - have offered to take over the party to ensure it can contest the election, though MacAskill stated he expected to continue as leader and emphasized that the final decision would rest with the party's national executive committee. The police investigation followed a dispute between the party and its former general secretary Chris McEleny, who was dismissed last year after being accused of gross misconduct, with a source close to McEleny asserting that the party's finances under former first minister Alex Salmond's leadership were "both sound and compliant."
🏷️ Themes
Political Finance, Electoral Strategy, Legal Investigation
Kenneth Wright MacAskill (born 28 April 1958) is a Scottish politician who served as Cabinet Secretary for Justice from 2007 to 2014 and was a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) from 1999 to 2016. He later served as Member of Parliament (MP) for East Lothian from 2019 to 2024. A former member o...
Scotland has elections to several bodies: the Scottish Parliament, the United Kingdom Parliament, local councils and community councils. Before the United Kingdom left the European Union, Scotland elected members to the European Parliament.
In law, fraud is intentional deception to deprive a victim of a legal right or to gain from a victim unlawfully or unfairly. Fraud can violate civil law (e.g., a fraud victim may sue the fraud perpetrator to thwart the fraud or recover monetary compensation) or criminal law (e.g., a fraud perpetrato...
The Alba Party (Scottish Gaelic: Pàrtaidh Alba; Alba being the Scottish Gaelic name for Scotland) is a Scottish nationalist and pro-independence political party in Scotland. Founded in February 2021, it was led by former first minister of Scotland and SNP leader Alex Salmond until his death in 2024....
Alba's financial difficulties due to fraud, leader claims Just now Share Save Share Save The Alba Party's financial difficulties are the result of it being defrauded, its leader has claimed. Kenny MacAskill announced this weekend that the pro-independence party was unlikely to field candidates in May's Holyrood election due to a lack of funds. Police Scotland has been investigating alleged "irregularities" in the party's finances since May last year. MacAskill told BBC Radio Scotland Breakfast on Monday that the party was in a "very difficult position". Four senior Alba members have offered to take over the party to ensure it can contest the election - but MacAskill said he expected to continue as leader. Senior Alba members offer to help party contest Scottish election Alba Party 'unlikely' to stand in Scottish Parliament election Police investigate 'irregularities' in Alba Party finances He told BBC Radio Scotland Breakfast: "You can have a great deal of wishful thinking but you also have to have a practical reality. "And unfortunately as a result, we believe, of a fraud perpetrated upon us, the Alba Party finds itself in a very precarious position." MacAskill warned that the party was currently unable to meet all of its financial obligations or fund an election campaign. He added that Alba had asked the Electoral Commission about the possibility of fielding candidates, but that the situation was "very difficult". On Sunday, four Alba members - Tommy Sheridan, Angus MacNeil, Christina Hendry and Suzanne Blackley - said the party leadership had "left the door open for a transition team to take the party forward". MacAskill told Radio Scotland Breakfast: "The decision to stand as Alba Party is a decision for the Alba Party and will be made by the national executive committee. It will not be made by any individual. "It will be for the national executive committee – not from me as an individual or indeed from Tommy Sheridan or Angus Brendan MacNeil – it's for the nati...
