Police dramatically ramped up their probe into the SNP’s finances earlier this year as costs for the investigation soared to almost £2million.
Detectives spent more than £425,000 on Operation Branchform between February and August, roughly double the rate of the previous three years.
The burst of activity, which coincided with officers charging former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell and reporting their findings to prosecutors, took the total cost to £1.8 million.
Earlier this year, a freedom of information request revealed the force had spent £1.37million on the probe up to February 29 this year.
Broadcaster LBC found Police Scotland spent another £426,466 up to August, taking total salary costs so far to £1,704,881, plus £95,391 overtime.
Scotland’s top prosecutor yesterday dodged media questions about why Branchform was taking so long and whether prosecutors were ‘afraid’ of such a politically charged case.
Confronted at Holyrood, Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain KC, who has recused herself from dealing with the probe, said it would be ‘entirely inappropriate’ for her to comment.
Police Scotland first received a complaint about the SNP’s finances in March 2021, when a former supporter alleged funds raised for another referendum had been misspent.
The party had raised more than £600,000 for a ringfenced independence campaign, but its accounts showed less than that in its reserves.
Operation Branchform was launched in July 2021 and has hung over the SNP ever since.
Former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, her husband Mr Murrell, and then party treasurer Colin Beattie, were all arrested and questioned last year.
The three were initially released without charge, but in April this year, Mr Murrell was charged in connection with the embezzlement of funds’.
In May, police sent a ‘standard prosecution report’ to the Crown Office concerning incidents said to have occurred between 2016 and 2023.
On August 9, Police Scotland submitted their full findings so far to prosecutors.
Senior Crown Office lawyers are understood to be considering whether there is enough evidence to prosecute Mr Murrell and if it would be in the ‘public interest’ to do so.
Chief Constable Jo Farrell said on September 23 that the Crown had yet to respond and officers were ‘still awaiting direction’.
Scottish Conservative Chairman Craig Hoy said: ‘The continued spiralling costs in relation to this long-running investigation only reaffirm the seriousness of Police Scotland’s work in looking into the murkiness surrounding the SNP’s finances.
‘This significant hit on the police’s already overstretched budget could have been avoided if senior SNP figures had been upfront about their financial affairs in the first place.’
The SNP said: ‘As this case remains active, it would be inappropriate to comment.’