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The financial troubles faced by the Alba Party have been attributed to fraudulent activity, according to its leader, Kenny MacAskill. Over the weekend, MacAskill revealed that the pro-independence party might not be able to put forward candidates in the upcoming Holyrood election in May, primarily due to insufficient funding. Police Scotland has been investigating suspected “irregularities” in the party’s finances since May of the previous year.
Despite the difficulties, four senior members of Alba—Tommy Sheridan, Angus MacNeil, Christina Hendry, and Suzanne Blackley—have expressed their willingness to assume control of the party to enable it to participate in the election. Nevertheless, MacAskill indicated that he would likely remain as party leader. Speaking to BBC Radio Scotland Breakfast, he said, “You can have a great deal of wishful thinking but you also have to have a practical reality.” He further emphasized that the party’s precarious financial state is believed to be the result of a fraud against it.
MacAskill also noted that Alba is unable to meet all of its financial commitments or fund an election campaign at present. Although they have reached out to the Electoral Commission to explore the possibility of fielding candidates, MacAskill described the prospects as “very difficult.” Regarding leadership decisions, he stated that the choice to stand as Alba Party candidates rests with the national executive committee and not with any single individual, including himself or the senior members who offered to take over.
The current police inquiry was triggered following a dispute with the former general secretary, Chris McEleny, who was dismissed for alleged gross misconduct last year. A source close to McEleny maintained that under the leadership of Alex Salmond, the party’s finances were “both sound and compliant.” The same source criticized the current leadership, stating that if Alba were to fail to contest the election, it would be due solely to “the sheer incompetence of the current leadership team.” Founded in 2021 by former Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond, Alba set out to secure a “supermajority for independence,” but has struggled electorally, garnering only 0.5% of the vote in last year’s general election
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