The SNP is facing a probe byparliamentary authorities over the alleged inappropriate use of public money to fund its general election campaign.
The investigation has been launched after a leakedscreenshot from a WhatsApp group appeared to show staff discussing how stamps paid for by expenses were used to distribute SNPleaflets.
A complaint and screenshot of the discussion as evidence was sent to Alison Johnstone, the Scottish Parliament's presiding officer, by what appears to be an anonymous SNP staff member.
Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs) are allowed to spend £5,500 a year on postage and stationery but the rules state they must be used only for parliamentary duties and not for party political purposes.
The investigation comes amidst pressure on the SNP's finances. The most recent figures showed it made a loss of more than £800,000 last year after the amount of large donations dried up in recent years.
John Swinney's party is under investigation by parliamentary authorities over the alleged inappropriate use of public money to fund its general election campaign. Pictured: The leader with a copy of his party's manifesto on Wednesday
An investigation by the Scottish Parliament has been launched after a leaked screenshot from a WhatsApp group appeared to show staff discussing how stamps paid for by expenses were used to distribute SNP leaflets
Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs) are allowed to spend £5,500 a year on postage and stationery but the rules state they must be used only for parliamentary duties and not for party political purposes
It also comes after Nicola Sturgeon's husband Peter Murrell, who was the party's chief executive for22 years, was charged in April with embezzling funds from the party.
Sturgeon herself was arrested on June 11, 2023, and interviewed for seven hours, before being released. She remains under investigation.
The leaked screenshot showed a snapshot of a conversation from a group called 'Office Manager Chat', which appears to have a timer for messages to be automatically deleted.
A person named 'Paul' asked: 'Guys, the new stamps. Can they be traced?', according to The Times.
They then clarified in a second message: 'Can they be traced back to who purchased them?'
A member of SNP deputy leader Keith Brown's office replied and said she had 'asked Rab in the mailroom and he said no'.
The leaked screenshot showed a snapshot of a conversation from a group called 'Office Manager Chat', which appears to have a timer for messages to be automatically deleted
The postage investigation comes after Nicola Sturgeon's husband Peter Murrell, who was the party's chief executive for 22 years, was charged in April with embezzling funds from the party. Pictured: Sturgeon outside her home following the arrest of her husband
Peter Murrell, the former SNP chief executive for 22 years, pictured arriving home after being charged for allegedly embezzling party funds on April 18
A complaint and screenshot of the WhatsApp discussion was sent to Alison Johnstone (pictured), the Scottish Parliament's presiding officer, by what appears to be an anonymous SNP staff member
Another staff member chimed in and said they were not aware of the stamps being traceable.
Someone from the office of the social justice secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville replied: 'If they can then a few people may be up in front of corporate body...'
There is no suggestion that either Somerville or Brown were aware of any issue regarding stamps.
Holyrood's corporate body is a group of five cross-party politicians that oversees the running of the parliament and the enforcement of rules, including around expenses over postage.
In the email to Johnstone, the individual who made the complaint said: 'I am anonymously sharing a screenshot from the SNP office managers' WhatsApp group chat due to my concerns that several MSPs are using stamps paid for by Scottish parliament expenses to pass to UK parliament election candidates for campaign activities such as sending target letters to hard-to-reach addresses.
'I'm concerned about this open discussion involving several members' offices.'
Holyrood's corporate body is a group of five cross-party politicians that oversees the running of the parliament and the enforcement of rules, including around expenses over postage (stock photo)
A member of SNP deputy leader Keith Brown's (pictured on Tuesday at a Channel 4 News election debate) office replied and said she had 'asked Rab in the mailroom and he said no'
Someone from the office of the social justice secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville (pictured) replied: 'If they can then a few people may be up in front of corporate body...'
A Scottish parliament spokesman said: 'We take the use of publicly funded resources very seriously. Officials are investigating the matter to establish whether there has been any misuse of parliamentary resources.'
The latest party figures show the SNP has£220,000 of financial liabilities when offset against its assets. This means technically the party could not meet its financial obligations should those debts be called in.
But most of this money is owed to local branches and an explanatory note accompanying its last accounts indicated that local associations would 'not draw on this accrual to any extent that may be to the detriment of the party's ability to meet its obligations'.
A spokesman for the SNP Holyrood group said in a statement: 'The parliamentary rules are crystal clear that materials, including stamps, can only be used for parliamentary purposes such as representing constituents and campaigning on their behalf.
'These exchanges, whilst obviously light-hearted, are being investigated as is appropriate and we would expect the offices of MSPs of all parties to cooperate with the parliamentary corporate body.'
The postage row is the latest in a string of finances-related issues for the SNP.
Last April police officers, including forensics experts and others with riot shields, made a very public search of the Sturgeon family home in Glasgow
A police patrol passes by the couple's home on the morning of Friday, April 19, 2024
Nicola Sturgeon, thenDeputy First Minister of Scotland and Alex Salmond's deputy, marrying Peter Murrell in Glasgow in July 2010
Pictured: Ms Sturgeon and Mr Murrell walking to cast votes for theScottish Parliament election in 2016
Donations have been drying up, with no donation greater than £500 was received by the SNP in thefirst three months of this year.
However on June 15 the party'sgeneral election fund was given a boost after a man's will handed it £128,000.
Political critics have suggested that the shadow of Operation Branchform, the three-year investigation into party funding which has led to the charging of Murrell and the arrest of his wife Sturgeon, may have diminished the SNP's ability to raise cash.
Under Sturgeon and her predecessor Alex Salmond, the party received more than £8 million and £4 million in donations respectively. Salmond was leader for seven years and Sturgeon resigned as leader after eight.
