Nicola, thank you for agreeing to this interview. Can I start by confirming that you are a qualified lawyer – what are your financial skills like – where do you get financial advice?
You were the accounting officer for the SNP = what did signing off the accounts involve?
Did you meet with the auditors, or see their reports? Were they happy with the income and expenditure accounts – likewise the balance sheets – likewise the ‘ring fenced’ £600,000 – did they have any concerns about governance?
When did you hear about concerns about the ring fenced monies – and what did you do?
What were your and Peter’s salaries? Presumably these are on the public record?
The ‘elephant in the room’ more or less literally is the ‘motor home’ – you would have seen this at Peter’s mother’s home. Was it on the balance sheet for the SNP?
Who determined your and Peter’s salaries? Did he receive any bonuses or other payments and who signed these off?
Who signed off Peter and your SNP expenses? Who signed off your government expenses?
Did you ever receive donations or other payments from anybody? Who paid for you r ‘work clothes’?
When you heard that the Treasuer and the Finance Committee members fo the SNP were not allowed access to the figures, what did you do? Did you question this?
Peter brought home expensive items, and had many delivered direct to the house. Did you not wonder how these were paid for?
Likewise the cars – especially the Jaguar. Was this a ‘company car’?
Given that the £600,000 disappeared into current expenditure – clearly the SNP was running a deficit – presumably of about £50,000 a year – much of which was down to Peter’s thefts……. Clearly the SNP had to be losing money for the £600,000 to disappear – what did you think and what questions did you ask?
It is reported that you had some expensive weekend breaks – money no object according to reports – and holidays in Portugal – how much did these cost and who paid for them?
Final question – clearly there was a lack of financial control – no ‘checks ad balances’ – do you think the accounting officer was exclusively to blame for this lack of control – or do John Swinney, the two Treasurers and others share the responsibility?
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