Natalie McGarry trial told of unexplained cheques

Councillor Alexander Belic gave evidence at the trial of former MP Natalie McGarry

Ex-MP Natalie McGarry cashed six cheques for an SNP branch that could not be explained, a court has heard.

The claim was made by councillor Alexander Belic who became treasurer of the Glasgow Regional Association (GRA) of the SNP after Ms McGarry.

He also said there were issues acquiring chequebooks and bank statements from her.

Ms McGarry is accused of embezzling £25,000 from two campaign groups including the GRA, which she denies.

The allegations cover a period between April 2013 and August 2015. Ms McGarry was the MP for Glasgow East between 2015 and 2017.

'Unusual' cheques

Mr Belic told a jury that he was appointed treasurer of the GRA in January 2012, and was not initially handed the GRA chequebook by Ms McGarry.

He said he raised it with her on numerous occasions but there would "always be a problem with this or a problem with that".

Similarly, he said he did not get banking material including statements until after Ms McGarry has resigned from the SNP.

Mr Belic said he had a meeting at a Bank of Scotland branch where further information was provided to him about the two GRA-owned bank accounts.

At this time he said six cheques stood out to him.

The court was shown cheques totalling £4,329 - one of which appeared to show £2,000 made out to Natalie McGarry in April 2014 with the corresponding stub which said "Shettleston" totalling £250.

Mr Belic said Ms McGarry told him by email this was for media training, accompanied with an invoice totalling £2,310.

He said this was "unusual" as there was no name for the company on the invoice and that the corresponding VAT number did not match a media company.

There was also a £600 cheque made out to a property consulting firm for a survey on Ms McGarry's constituency office - however it was agreed that she had made a successful claim of £800 to the Parliamentary Standards Authority for the survey.

Mr Belic said: "If the claim was made and paid it first then the £600 is completely inappropriate or we paid the £600 and it went nowhere."

Donations sent to personal account

Another £500 cash payment to SNP Shettleston from July 2015 was shown, which Mr Belic believed was in relation to a ballot return deposit following the general election.

He said that SNP Shettleston would have paid Glasgow City Council £500 which would have been refunded personally to McGarry after she was elected.

The witness said that £500 should not have come from the GRA bank account to pay SNP Shettleston back.

Mr Belic said: "It appears the £500 came from our account and Natalie would be £500 up on the whole affair."

A final cheque to the Raddison Blu Hotel for £895 dated April 2014 was shown when an independence debate was held.

Mr Belic said that he was "not aware" that the GRA contributed but it was not unusual.

The witness claimed he was told that a donation button on the GRA website went to McGarry's PayPal account before being transferred to her personal bank account.

Asked if there was any reason why money from the donation buttons should go to her bank account, Mr Belic said: "No... there is no reason why we couldn't receive the money ourselves and go through a pass the parcel situation."

Allan Macleod, defending, said: "Did you see her present herself as someone who was spinning a lot of plates?"

Mr Belic: "I think I said that before when getting cheques she would say this is happening that is happening, she presented herself as someone who was busy."

One charge against Ms McGarry claims she embezzled £21,000 while treasurer of Women for Independence (WFI) between 26 April 2013 and 30 November 2015.

The second charge claims she embezzled £4,661 from the Glasgow Regional Association of the SNP between 9 April 2014 and 10 August 2015.

The trial continues before sheriff Tom Hughes.