We’ve already discussed the contents of the videos released last week by the BBC containing interviews with Assistant Chief Constable Stuart Houston of Police Scotland and Crown Agent John Logue of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service.
But videos (especially lengthy ones) are always a bit of a pain to reference, and these are incredibly significant documents, so we thought it’d be quite useful to post the full transcripts too, with the text tidied up (taking out all the “um”s and “eh”s and so on) for ease of reading.
This is the interview with John Logue (Stuart Houston’s is here):
And below is what’s said in it. We’ve added a comment here and there, in red.
We’ve already discussed the contents of the videos released last week by the BBC containing interviews with Deputy Chief Constable Stuart Houston of Police Scotland and Crown Agent John Logue of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service.
But videos (especially lengthy ones) are always a bit of a pain to reference, and these are incredibly significant documents, so we thought it’d be quite useful to post the full transcripts too, with the text tidied up (taking out all the “um”s and “eh”s and so on) for ease of reading.
This is the interview with Stuart Houston (John Logue’s is here):
And below is what’s said in it. We’ve added a comment here and there, in red.
I’ve just recorded an episode of the BBC ScotCast podcast, which should “drop”, as we say in the media biz, around teatime tonight. It focused largely on issues around Operation Branchform, and the fact that only one of the two crimes it concerned has been resolved.
Time always flies when you’re having fun, so I ended up not being able to fit in half the stuff I wanted to say in the 40 minutes I chatted with Martin Geissler (which will likely shrink to fit into the 30-minute broadcast slot by the time they’ve edited all the most libellous bits out).
And one of those things was the bewildering fact that the investigation into the SNP’s finances went on for two years before the police stumbled into the second crime, and the only one that’s actually concluded – Peter Murrell’s embezzlement from the SNP. Because the first crime ought to have been all but done and dusted in 24 hours max.
Alert readers will have found it hard not to notice that Wings is currently focused on trying to solve one mystery above all others: why nobody has been prosecuted for a massive theft of hundreds of thousands of pounds, which took place in open sight, beyond any dispute, and is openly admitted by someone who was there at the time.
Until this week, nobody in the two organisations responsible for criminal prosecutions in the country – Police Scotland and the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (the Crown Office or COPFS for short) had issued any sort of explanation of why the original Operation Branchform investigation apparently fell by the wayside when it led police to discover a second crime: that of embezzlement against the SNP by its then-Chief Executive, Peter Murrell.
But this week, with very little fanfare, the BBC quietly put out two extended interviews with senior representatives of those organisations, seemingly the unused footage from their half-hour televised documentary “Peter Murrell: The Man With The Money”.
This is the letter the SNP sent donors to the ringfenced 2017 fundraiser.
The terms are right there in the first sentence, and repeated several more times. The money will be “ring fenced for a future referendum”. It’s to “build up a sizeable war chest to fight the campaign when the time comes”. It’s to “ensure we are not outspent in the referendum campaign”.
There is no ambiguity in the email. There’s no mention of the SNP anywhere except in Jim Henderson’s email address. No suggestion whatsoever that the money could be used by the SNP for anything but a referendum campaign.
These are the people whose job it was to stop the leadership of the SNP from stealing almost £700,000 of “ringfenced” fundraiser money from independence supporters, and who utterly failed at that job.
It was also their job to stop Peter Murrell stealing the best part of £500,000 from the SNP, in a separate but related crime, and they failed at that one too.
A small handful of them (marked with red asterisks, but see postscript below) tried their best to do their duties, and were blocked primarily by one powerful woman – Nicola Sturgeon – and a room full of cowards, weaklings and bullies, listed above.
But as Peter Murrell begins a five-years-and-three-months prison sentence – more than we were expecting, in truth – let’s not lose sight of the key fact that the theft of hundreds of thousands of pounds of independence supporters’ money by the SNP, which accidentally exposed Murrell’s entirely separate crime of theft FROM the SNP, has still not been answered for by anyone.
Be assured, readers, that Wings won’t rest until it is.
Our first letter was answered/dismissed by “Service Adviser 1989847”, so this reply to our second one, while it doesn’t say much, definitely feels like a step up.
Our KC has offered all possible assistance to the Cyber and Fraud Unit in relation to the matter, and we’ll keep you posted with any developments, readers.
Alf Baird on The Wheels Of Industry: ““Maybe we need to spend a few years wondering what’s to be done before we work out what’s to be…” Jul 20, 23:17
Harper (Kenneth John) on The Wheels Of Industry: “Who funds the National ? as I doubt its sales revenue, hope its not the missing Yes Scotland funds” Jul 20, 22:10
Spade on The Wheels Of Industry: “This is the post-apocalyptic political landscape that was anticipated a few years ago, the inevitable consequence of the SNP crime…” Jul 20, 21:34
sam on The Wheels Of Industry: “Professors Henderson and Wyn Jones have done studies on the “Future of England” over a number of yeaars. The findings…” Jul 20, 20:33
Hatey McHateface on The Wheels Of Industry: “I didn’t know the devil bought soles.” Jul 20, 20:25
Knuckle_Heid on The Wheels Of Industry: “Seriously, who pays money to read this garbage? Endlessly promising a better future (we just need to be patient &…” Jul 20, 20:15
100%Yes on The Wheels Of Industry: “Thank god you told us the nitty gritty. To be honest I’d rather sell my sole to the devil than…” Jul 20, 19:57
Hatey McHateface on The Wheels Of Industry: “@Dan Your final paragraph is exactly right.” Jul 20, 19:46
sam on The Wheels Of Industry: ““The findings showed: 60% of voters in England say current politics makes them feel angry 55% say it makes them…” Jul 20, 19:26
100%Yes on The Wheels Of Industry: “robertkknight A parasite is a living thing the SNP is dead.” Jul 20, 18:33
100%Yes on The Wheels Of Industry: “John Swinney leader of the SNP, just been elected on a huge lie, but his top priority is the cost…” Jul 20, 18:27
Dan on The Wheels Of Industry: ““He doesn’t cite any evidence for that figure, although it does pretty much correspond with what pro-indy parties got in…” Jul 20, 18:22
Neil Singleton on These Words Are My Own: “Do remember that Sturgeon is one of the two “Shipman Sisters” with the now departed Freeman. And never forget that…” Jul 20, 18:19
twathater on The Wheels Of Industry: “What grinds my gears is the amount of gullibility surrounding independence supporters, FFS are they blind can they not see…” Jul 20, 17:53
sam on The Wheels Of Industry: “Depressingly accurate demolition of BiS. Next up AUOB? Funds misappropriated? I do hope not. We need a few marches in…” Jul 20, 17:42
Neil Singleton on These Words Are My Own: “The ferries scandal has all the hallmarks of a corrupt, money laundering scam. Obscene and unjustifiable cost increases throughout the…” Jul 20, 17:34
Dan on Progressing To Oblivion: “But does that really matter when you probably have a really fancy ass coffee machine and an expensive fountain pen……” Jul 20, 17:25
Ex President Xiden on The Wheels Of Industry: “Your reference to the greatest book on politics ever written reminded me of the greatest political speech ever given. I…” Jul 20, 17:24
robertkknight on The Wheels Of Industry: “I scribbled 6 paragraphs and tossed the lot with the exception the last line… “The SNP is a parasite”. All…” Jul 20, 17:07
100%Yes on The Wheels Of Industry: “A Citizen’s Convention is a con if run by anyone put in charge by the SNP.” Jul 20, 17:07
MaryB on The Wheels Of Industry: “I’ve often heard it said that Gordon MK is really an arm of the SNP. He’s tried to split the…” Jul 20, 16:29
100%Yes on The Wheels Of Industry: “England and America will drain Scotland dry of all oil and gas while the SNP sit back and look onward…” Jul 20, 16:26
duncanio on The Wheels Of Industry: “GMK doesn’t know what Swinney and the SNP are going to do next. So he’s just keeping all ‘options’ on…” Jul 20, 15:06
Confused on Progressing To Oblivion: “Manchester’s Finest as the new PM does excite as a concept, but – Stephen Patrick Morrissey – is still in…” Jul 20, 14:49
Colin Alexander on Progressing To Oblivion: “In Scotland, about 80% of the electorate did not elect a UK Labour or colonial SNP government, yet we are…” Jul 20, 14:15
agentx on Progressing To Oblivion: “The national ” Breaking John Swinney looks forward to ‘constructive’ talks with Andy Burnham on independence” ———————————- I am sure…” Jul 20, 14:09
Aidan on These Words Are My Own: “Aye well this is the problem Hatey, an independent Scotland can’t be everything to everyone even when people have conflicting…” Jul 20, 14:09
Captain Caveman on These Words Are My Own: “😀 Fair do’s Dan. I’ll try and do better next time!” Jul 20, 13:50
Dan on These Words Are My Own: “CC says: “SIX goals!” & “Sadly I drank far too much “Cheshire Cat” ale at the pub.” Such a lacklustre…” Jul 20, 13:19
