An SNP "battle bus" seized from the home of ex-party boss Peter Murrell's mother has been towed into a police yard in Glasgow. The £110,000 luxury motorhome is understood to have sat in the driveway of Margaret Murrell's Dunfermline home for two years before being removed by cops probing £600,000 of 'missing' party funds on April 5.
Peter Murrell had been arrested that same day in connection with the ongoing police investigation into Scottish National Party finances. It is unclear where the campervan was held before it arrived at the Police Scotland Logistics Department on Meiklewood Road in Govan on Tuesday morning.
Dog walker David Cardell, who spotted the motorhome arriving at the yard, told the Record
He said: "I noticed the motorhome on the big 911 truck. It's really top of the range and it sticks out. I then asked the driver if that was the one removed from Murrell's mum's home and he nodded his head.
"I was filming it and then I got into a heated discussion with two plain clothes police officers who told me I shouldn't be filming. They were being very secretive and weird about it. I wasn't doing anything wrong, I was on a public road and you can see into the compound through the fence."
It comes after SNP treasurer Colin Beattie was also arrested earlier on Tuesday in connection with the party's finance probe.
The 71-year-old MSP for Midlothian North and Musselburgh, was taken into custody and is being questioned by detectives. He was later released without charge.
Last week the Mail on Sunday revealed the state-of-the-art Niesmann + Bischoff motorhome was delivered to the 92-year-old Margaret Murrell's property by two men in January 2021.
The Record then uncovered it had reportedly been bought as an SNP “battle bus” for the SNP's Holyrood election campaign in 2021, but was never deployed after Covid restrictions were lifted. An SNP source claimed the party planned to use the motorhome during the pandemic if restrictions were tight.
They said: “The campervan was about trying to have an ability to campaign while complying with the rules. It would have acted as a mobile campaign room. It would mean not having a need for hotels and minimise mixing.”
Peter Murrell was questioned by detectives for more than 11 hours on April 5 before being released without charge “pending further investigation”. Police officers raided the marital home he shares with wife and former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon over the course of two days.
The SNP head office in Edinburgh was also raided in connection with the finances probe. Police Scotland declined to comment on the motorhome.
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