There must be a Murrell inquiry, and it should happen here - Scotsman leader comment
A robust inquiry is essential.
First Minister John Swinney is continuing to bat away growing calls for an inquiry into the Peter Murrell scandal.
But if he and the SNP hoped this would be an issue they could simply ride out, and hope it disappeared, they were very much mistaken.
It is clear now that only an inquiry can get to the bottom of the unanswered questions around how the party's former chief executive was able to embezzle £400,000 from SNP funds.
There will be no desire among the public for a long and complicated public inquiry with yet more taxpayers money going down the drain.
But Mr Swinney does have options available, for a speedier and cheaper resolution. He could establish an independent KC-led inquiry to examine the party’s governance, or order a Holyrood inquiry.
The former feels very much more desirable for the first minister, as he would be able to set the terms of reference and claim it is truly independent. The latter, however, would still be preferable to a Westminster probe.
Either way, one of those things has to now happen, and the sooner it is announced the better.
The stories will continue, and likely intensify in the lead up to and following Murrell’s sentencing later this month. The questions will only grow louder.
Continuing to resist efforts to get to the bottom of how such an apparently simple crime was committed over the course of 12 years while members of the SNP tried to raise the alarm is a frankly unsustainable position.
The story will not end when Murrell’s ultimate punishment is revealed.
For Mr Swinney and the SNP to have any hope of moving on from the Branchform controversy, a robust inquiry to draw a line under it is essential.
It will not be comfortable for anyone in the SNP, there will no doubt be more revelations.
The alternative, however, is being stuck in a never-ending cycle of ever more damaging headlines.