Natalie McGarry trial told of 'gobbledygook' financial report

An ex-employee of a Scottish independence organisation has told a trial a financial report by former MP Natalie McGarry was "gobbledygook".

Kathleen Caskie said she hoped Women For Independence committee members would not ask her questions when she had to do a presentation on it in 2015.

The witness also said she was given the run-around by Ms McGarry.

The ex-SNP MP for Glasgow East denies embezzling £25,000 from two pro-independence campaign groups.

The allegations against Ms McGarry, 40, cover a period between April 2013 and August 2015.

She allegedly embezzled £21,000 while she was treasurer for Women for Independence (WFI) between 26 April 2013 and 30 November 2015.

A second charge states Ms McGarry took £4,661 between 9 April 2014 and 10 August 2015 while treasurer, secretary and convenor of the Glasgow Regional Association of the SNP.

Ms Caskie - who had stepped down from the WFI committee to become an employee - told jurors that she was tasked with speaking about Ms McGarry's report at meeting in March 2015.

Ms Caskie, 56, said: "She attended as a keynote speaker but she didn't come to present the financial report - it was left to me.

"I felt it was an unorganised report - I hoped that no one asked me questions - it was embarrassing."

The witness stated that the report was in a wrong format and did not contain information about money in or money out.

She added: "It was gobbledygook, it didn't say the time period or the balance going forward - it wasn't up to scratch."

A bucket collection at the meeting was said to have raised £653. It was decided that £326 would go to the Positive Prisons Positive Futures charity.

An email from the charity was shown to the court stating that this money did not arrive.

Ms Caskie was asked if she was aware that the charity had not received the donation.

She replied: "I'm not, that's a shame."

Ms Caskie also stated that WFI hosted events in Stirling and in Glasgow's Maryhill in 2015.

The court heard that Stirling District Council chased WFI for an unpaid venue invoice for £326.

Ms Caskie was asked if she was aware of payments made to the venues.

She said: "I was lied to, I was told repeatedly that cheques had been sent and it turned out they hadn't been sent at all.

"She was telling me any kind of rubbish, she was going to pay it and none of his was true."

Ms Caskie claimed that WFI's newly elected committee members, which included academics, requested financial figures from her.

She said: "These were not stupid women - they were looking at this going 'What is this nonsense?'"

Ms Caskie stated that she prepared her own financial report for WFI detailing income and expenditure.

The report shown to the jury showed an income of £64,000, expenditure of £35,700 with cash in the bank of £1,500 and £26,000 unaccounted for.

Ms Caskie said: "We were really surprised why it [the cash in the bank] was so low - it made no sense."

Allan Macleod, defending, put to Miss Caskie that she had told the police that in 2013 WFI was being run in a "chaotic fashion" by Ms McGarry and Shona McAlpine.

She replied: "Yes, it was chaotic, as decisions were not being made properly through the committee - there was a great need for greater order."

Ms Caskie was asked why Ms McGarry remained in charge until the AGM in March 2015 if it was clear the previous October that she was "not capable of handling financial matters".

The witness told the jury Ms McGarry would not hand over her responsibilities.

Mr Macleod also asked why she supported Ms McGarry's campaign during the 2015 General Election.

Ms Caskie replied: "She was superb and committed to the issues around poverty.

"My concerns were Natalie had made an absolute dog's breakfast with everything to do with the money.

"She did not make a dog's breakfast in her political career and beat some serious candidates in the SNP to get nominated for the election."

Ms McGarry, of Clarkston, East Renfrewshire, denies the two charges.

The trial before sheriff Tom Hughes continues.