Following much speculation in the last few months, Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP who is running the Liberal Democrats Scottish campaign during the General Election, has been referred to the Procurator Fiscal over 2016 election expenses, The Herald has reported this morning.
Mr Cole-Hamilton is pictured above helping Scottish Liberal Democrat Leader Willie Rennie at last week’s Scottish manifesto launch.
The Edinburgh Western MSP who used to work for children’s charity Aberlour is apparently being investigated over the expenses for office rental and other election costs during the 2016 Holyrood campaign.
At the Holyrood election the Liberal Democrats took the seat from the SNP who had had held it for one term under Colin Keir. The SNP then fielded Toni Guigliano as their new candidate in 2016 and Mr Giugliano is also standing as the SNP candidate in this year’s General Election in Edinburgh West.
The SNP has demanded the immediate removal of Mr Cole-Hamilton from his post and suspension from the party until investigations have concluded.
Toni Giugliano said to us this morning : “These are very serious revelations indeed.
“The clock is ticking. Willie Rennie must immediately remove Alex Cole-Hamilton as the party’s general election director.
“Considering the severity of the allegations, the public would fully expect Mr Cole-Hamilton to be suspended from the Lib Dems at once until investigations have concluded.
“People across Edinburgh West, who have been swamped by Lib Dem leaflets both last year and this year, often ask me how they can afford it, given the strict spending rules.
“With only a day to go before the election, voters deserve to know the truth.”
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.