Natalie Magary, 40, who represented Glasgow East between 2015 and 2017, was convicted of embezzlement twice in May after a trial in Glasgow State Court. Her jury convicted her for a majority of the crimes of spending £ 19,974 while accounting for the Women for Independence (WFI) between April 26, 2013 and November 30, 2015. It was made.
She was also the accountant, secretary, and convenor of the SNP’s Glasgow Regional Association for most of her second indictment, receiving £ 4,661 between April 9, 2014 and August 10, 2015. Was convicted by.
Sheriff Tom Hughes said he had sentenced McGarry to betray those who trusted her and that a custodial sentence was inevitable.
He told her: “It is very clear that society has the right to seek the highest standards from those who seek and ultimately achieve high public office.”
Sheriff Hughes said, “Through your role in these crimes, not only have you betrayed the trust of others, but your standards are far beyond the standards that the public should have the right to expect from members of parliament. It’s below that. “
During the six-week trial, the court said it reported McGarry after noticing a significant shortage of WFI accounts from dozens of witnesses, including former Scottish Minister of Health Jeane Freeman.
Ms. Freeman said she did not expect donations for group independence to be sent from the organization’s PayPal account to McGarry’s personal bank account.
She also complained to McGarry, who was late in delivering receipts and invoices showing what the funds were spent on.
The court also heard from witnesses that McGarry has personal financial difficulties and is regularly financed by family and friends.
This includes Humza Yousaf, the current Scottish Cabinet Health Secretary, giving McGarry £ 600 to prevent her from being kicked out of the house.
The court also looked at McGarry’s bank records and showed that a crowdfunding donation from WFI had been transferred to her own personal account.
This included £ 10,472.52 on April 29, 2014 and an additional £ 9,848.70 on November 12, 2014. This is what she used to pay for her rent and shopping.
McGarry said these were “reasonable” costs she would bear and reimburse herself.
McGarry was elected an SNP member in 2015, but resigned from the party’s general affairs after allegations of fraud. This is what she denied.
She remained in parliament as an independent member of Glasgow East, but did not seek re-election in 2017.
Details to follow