THE Scottish Parliament will not pursue a group of independence campaigners for costs after they were evicted from grounds beside Holyrood following a long-running legal battle.
At one point members of the group feared bankruptcy over the case pursued by the parliament’s corporate body.
The campers moved into caravans and tents beside the parliament in December 2015 insisting they had a right to be there and would not leave until Scotland became an independent country.
But they were forcibly evicted a year later after losing their case in the Court of Session. Legal action taken by authorities at Holyrood cost the public purse £128,000.
Last night the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body (SPCB) said recovering the funds was not in the public interest as the chance of receiving them was “negligible”.
A spokesman for the Scottish Parliament said: “The SPCB has a clear duty to use public funds prudently and therefore to seek to recover the cost of this court action where viable.
“However, it has now become clear that the prospects for recovery are negligible.
The SPCB has therefore concluded that it is not cost-effective to spend further public funds in pursuing the matter.”
A range of legal arguments were pursued by the campaigners in their bid to stay including arguing the court had no jurisdiction under the Declaration of Arbroath.
But their case was rejected by the Court of Session.
Two of the nine members of the camp have appealed to the Supreme Court to be allowed to appeal over their right to remain at the site.
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