THE scandal over "dark money" being used to fund the Scottish Tories is picking up traction.
Today, BBC Good Morning Scotland put the question to Tory MP David Duguid.
While it's not an intense investigative report using the BBC's considerable resources, we're sure that's going on in the background.
So, for now, we'll take Duguid being made to squirm as he tries to justify taking money from an organisation he knows nothing about.
You can find a transcript and recording of the interview below.
📻 Listen to Tory David Duguid MP being questioned about #darkmoney being received by @ScotTories from the Scottish Unionist Association Trust (SUAT). pic.twitter.com/gqw5KmWwcL
— Ross Colquhoun (@rosscolquhoun) July 4, 2018
Presenter (Gary Robertson): Let me ask you about another issue while we have you here. The SNP’s Pete Wishart raised in parliament accusations about so-called dark money being funnelled to the Scottish Tories from unincorporated associations. These in essence are large donations made using electoral and company law to obscure the source of those donations, and it’s alleged the figure could be in excess of a quarter of a million pounds over the past few years. Is it time for your party to come clean on this?
Scottish Tory MP David Duguid: Again, all I know of about the party donations, including those made to my own election campaign, is they went through the same process, everything is approved by the electoral commission, I wouldn’t be able to comment any further than that. I believe there is an inquiry going on.
Presenter:Â Is it time for an investigation from the electoral commission and from your party too, to shed light on all of this?
DD:Â Well, I believe the electoral commission is looking into it.
Presenter:Â Did you receive any of this so-called dark money?
DD: I didn’t receive anything personally. I believe my election campaign received a donation from SUAT. I wouldn’t call it dark money at this stage.
Presenter: This is the Scottish Unionist Association Trust, which according to the Ferret website funnelled £319,000 to Conservative politicians, that apparently has no fixed address or known current trustees. Can you shed any light on the organisation?
DD: I don’t know any more than what you’ve just said to be honest. All I know is any donation given to my election campaign went through the appropriate process and approvals.
Presenter:Â So how much money did you get from them?
DD: Eh ... I think it was bout £7500.
Presenter: But you don’t know anything about the organisation – you’re happy to accept money from an organisation that you can't tell us anything about?
DD: I’m happy to accept money from any organisation that has passed the approval process that we all have to go through on election campaigns.
Presenter: But don’t you ask questions about where the money’s coming from?
DD: To be honest, at the time, I was more focused on winning the election than where any donations were coming from. I don’t see that money personally. It’s a matter for the party if you want to take it up with them.
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