Former MP denies embezzling money from indy groups

Natalie McGarry is giving evidence in her own defence at Glasgow Sheriff Court

Former MP Natalie McGarry has told a court she did not embezzle money from two pro-independence campaign groups.

Ms McGarry is giving evidence in her own defence at Glasgow Sheriff Court.

The former SNP MP for Glasgow East is accused of embezzling £25,000 from Women for Independence and the Glasgow Regional Association of the SNP.

The 40-year-old was asked if she deliberately misappropriated funds from either group for her own personal use and replied that she did not.

The court has heard that Ms McGarry suffers from a condition which means, on occasion, through no choice of her own, her voice disappears.

Panic attacks

She also told the jury she suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and experiences panic attacks.

Ms McGarry is accused of embezzling £21,000 while treasurer of Women for Independence between April 2013 and November 2015.

A second charge states Ms McGarry took £4,661 when she was treasurer, secretary and convenor of the Glasgow Regional Association of the SNP between April 2014 and August 2015.

She denies the two charges.

Ms McGarry's lawyer started the defence case by asking if the former MP had embezzled money from either group, which her client denied.

• Natalie McGarry's funds questioned by accountant

Ms McGarry told the court that she and another woman did the "donkey work" for Women for Independence, referring to her taking on an administrative role in the group that she said was not her strength.

It was not the fun part, she said.

The court has previously heard that an accountant found a shortfall of about £30,000 in the Women for Independence accounts after Ms McGarry was elected as an MP in 2015.

Asked if she agreed she had been lumbered with the administration of Women for Independence, Ms McGarry said: "I'm a good organiser. I am good at motivating people. I am not the most organised person. This is not what I signed up for."

'We were overwhelmed'

She added that she believed in the group and somebody had to step up to do the admin tasks.

"It was just falling by the wayside and I did not want it to fail," she said.

Ms McGarry said the day-to-day work of running the organisation fell on her and another woman called Shona McAlpine.

"We had to employ somebody to help us because we were overwhelmed," Ms McGarry told the court.

The court later heard that Ms McGarry stood in the Cowdenbeath by-election for the Scottish Parliament in January 2014.

She said she had a chronic fear of public speaking and had to have her arm twisted to make her stand.

After being unsuccessful in the by-election, she was selected as the candidate for the Westminster seat of Glasgow East in the May 2015 general election.

Ms McGarry said she put herself forward after looking at the list of nominees and seeing it dominated by men.

She said she was out campaigning every single day and there were a huge number of people relying on her.

"We exhausted ourselves," Ms McGarry said. "There was nothing that we didn't do that we could have."

She was an MP for two years but did not stand in the 2017 general election because the embezzlement allegations had been made and she was also pregnant.

PayPal account

Ms McGarry later told the court that she linked her personal bank account to the Women for Independence (WFI) PayPal account in order for donations for a crowdfunder to continue.

Her defence counsel Allan MacLeod asked if she saw this as a problem.

Ms McGarry said: "It wasn't ideal but in retrospect, would I do 1,000 things differently?

"I would have done things completely differently and not gone near any of it."

Mr MacLeod asked how WFI benefited by money being in her bank account.

She said: "I was purchasing on behalf of WFI and I was able to as it was my bank card as I had to pay for things I couldn't pay for by cheque or cash."

Mr McGarry agreed that blank cheques were signed and that it was "not practical" but stated that it happened in other organisations.

Mr MacLeod said: "Did anyone say to you through this period 'Hang on a moment, that's a bit of a rubbish financial summary you gave, give more facts and figures'?"

Ms McGarry said: "Not that I can recall as no-one was interested in the small details of how we operated - people just wanted things done.

"People say they offered me assistance during this and on one occasion I asked for assistance and no-one turned up to help me."

The trial, which is now entering its fifth week of evidence, continues.