Prosecutors want £162,000 from jailed former MP Natalie McGarry

Natalie McGarry was jailed for two years in June

Prosecutors are looking to recover £162,000 in proceeds of crime from jailed former MP Natalie McGarry.

McGarry was convicted of embezzling £25,000 from the SNP and a pro-independence group at Glasgow Sheriff Court in June.

The 41-year-old, who was MP for Glasgow East between 2015 and 2017, was sentenced to two years in prison.

She previously had a conviction for embezzlement quashed after judges ruled she suffered a miscarriage of justice.

McGarry had denied all charges but was eventually found guilty of taking £19,974 while treasurer of Women for Independence.

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She embezzled a further £4,661 while treasurer, secretary and convener of the Glasgow Regional Association of the SNP.

Lawyers for McGarry have since lodged papers at the Appeal Court in Edinburgh, seeking to challenge both her conviction and the jail term.

The details of the grounds of the appeal are not known.

A proceeds of crime hearing scheduled for Tuesday at Glasgow Sheriff Court was postponed as the sheriff was unavailable.

McGarry was also not in court.

Refusal to appeal

Her lawyer Pat Campbell said: "She is presently in custody serving a sentence for the proceedings which underlie this matter.

"There is a joint motion to adjourn and to continue this until January. This is to allow the question of appeals."

A prosecution statement says that the Crown is seeking to get £162,000 from McGarry.

The matter was continued until January by Sheriff Tom Ward.