THE Conservatives have been been called on to forfeit over £1.6m in donations from a disgraced businessman who was the party’s treasurer in Scotland.
An SNP spokesman said the financial contributions by Malcolm Scott - who had a 66 month Bankruptcy Restriction Order placed on him last week for misconduct - should be surrendered.
It has also emerged that Scott is still listed as a trustee director for the Crimestoppers charity.
Scott was a Fettes-educated grain and property tycoon who became one of the party’s biggest supporters in Scotland.
He was a political ally of former foreign secretary William Hague and allowed the Prime Minister use of his private jet.
His donations to the party
were a mix of personal and corporate gifts.
However, he was sequestrated – the Scots terms for bankruptcy – after his business empire collapsed.
A sheriff last week imposed a five and a half year BRO – which severely curtails his financial activities – over claims he had concealed assets during the sequestration process.
During a bankruptcy, a debtor has to be honest about the whereabouts of his assets.
At court hearings over the last two months, lawyers argued that Scott had not given a full account of his wealth.
An investigation by the Accountant in Bankruptcy (AIB) public body established that Scott had inaccurately reported items which he said had been stolen from his mansion, whereas in fact they had been sold at auction.
Scott also failed to declare the transfer of around £9,000 of shares, which could have been used to benefit his creditors.
He also failed to account for the proceeds of the sale of a Range Rover, cash he claimed had gone missing after a man called ‘Dougie’ had taken it from a friend’s house.
Similarly, the AIB found that Scott had failed to declare a speedboat called Breakwater, fishing rights, a wine collection and assets in the Bahamas.
The AIB said the sanction,
imposed by Sheriff Holligan, was because of “misconduct” and “serious misbehaviour” during the bankruptcy process.
However, the SNP believes the donations from the tainted businessman should not be kept by the Conservatives.
As treasurer, Scott controlled the Scottish party’s purse strings.
A spokesman for Crimestoppers declined to comment on Scott’s listed role as a charity trustee.
A SNP spokesman said: “Ruth
Davidson now needs to give an
immediate assurance that she will look into the circumstances of how the Tories came to accept these donations and ensure that the cash is handed back.”
A spokesman for the Scottish Conservatives said: “Malcolm Scott has had nothing to do with the party for some time.
“Perhaps the SNP should
worry about its own problems instead of faking outrage about other parties.”
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