Whistleblowers have accused Scottish First Minister John Swinney of displaying "appalling judgment" in appointing former senior SNP figure Kirsten Oswald as victims minister, citing concerns over her past handling of party financial issues.
Allison Graham and Cynthia Guthrie, who previously raised allegations of bullying against senior SNP figures, including Nicola Sturgeon, regarding their concerns about the party's finances five years ago, have urged opposition parties to consider a vote of no confidence in Oswald. Oswald, the former East Renfrewshire MP, has faced scrutiny over her role in the response to Graham's attempts to raise alarms about the SNP's finances and has been accused of previously shutting down complaints.
These incidents include a complaint from a young worker harassed by former MP Patrick Grady and alleged prior knowledge of concerns regarding former Nationalist council leader Jordan Linden.
"She is supposed to be the 'victims minister' and whistleblowers have got to have confidence that she has their back," Graham told the Sunday Mail. "But she has demonstrated that her intent was to close things down. It's an absolutely appalling judgment call from John Swinney."
Graham further accused Oswald, Sturgeon, and other members of the SNP's national executive committee of having "emboldening" Peter Murrell when they dismissed questions about the party's finances. Speaking to the Sunday Times, Graham stated that Oswald played a central role in restricting inquiries about the finances and suggested that a confidence vote for Oswald should be considered by opposition parties.
"What trust would you have in someone who basically has got a proven track record for allowing this to happen to people in her own party?" Graham asked. "If I was advising anyone in here, I would be saying that is absolutely something they should consider doing."
Oswald has previously denied these claims, stating, "It's clear where the wrongdoing lies, and that lies with Peter Murrell. I don't think I'm known as someone who shuts down debate."
A Scottish Government spokesperson affirmed that Swinney has appointed Oswald as Minister for Community Safety and that she is "focused on delivering on people's priorities, and putting victims and witnesses at the heart of Scotland's justice system."
An SNP spokesperson commented that as business convener, Oswald was committed to transparency and ensured updates from NEC meetings were posted on the party website. The spokesperson added that "no complaint of bullying has been received regarding these matters" and that "the criminal wrongdoing of Peter Murrell was uncovered by a complex and extensive police investigation years after the events in question."
The whistleblowers last week also criticized Swinney for denying their claims of bullying by Sturgeon and other senior SNP figures. Graham and Guthrie, who held unpaid roles on the SNP's finance and audit committee in 2021, accused Swinney and Sturgeon of enabling Murrell's alleged £400,000 fraud and of repeatedly denying that party funds were missing.
When questioned in Holyrood about apologizing to Graham and Guthrie, Swinney stated he had "apologized to members of the Scottish National Party for the events that have affected the party's finances and I reiterate those today." He declined to apologize directly to the two women, reiterating only that he had "apologized to all party members." Pressed on whether he believed Sturgeon or other senior figures were bullies, Swinney responded, "No I don't."