SNP treasurer Colin Beattie serves as an MSP for Midlothian North and Musselburgh (Picture: Getty)

SNP treasurer Colin Beattie has been released without charge after he was arrested in connection with an investigation into the party’s finances.

Police Scotland say further investigations are ongoing.

The force announced on Tuesday morning that the 71-year-old had been taken into custody and was being questioned by detectives.

A spokesman from Police Scotland said this evening: ‘A 71-year-old man who was arrested earlier today, Tuesday, 18 April 2023, as a suspect in connection with the ongoing investigation into the funding and finances of the Scottish National Party, has been released without charge pending further investigation.

‘The man was questioned by Police Scotland detectives.

‘A report will be sent to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service.’

The arrest of Mr Beattie, who also serves as an MSP for Midlothian North and Musselburgh, was the second in relation to the investigation into how more than £600,000 in donations to the party earmarked for an independence referendum had been used.

Mr Beattie has served as the party’s treasurer for 16 years.

First elected as a councillor in Midlothian in 2007, Mr Beattie led the SNP group at the local authority.

But in 2011, he moved to Holyrood, being elected as an MSP for the newly-formed Midlothian North and Musselburgh constituency.

Yet despite the SNP being in power throughout his tenure as an MSP, Mr Beattie has never achieved ministerial office, having never been invited by Alex Salmond, Nicola Sturgeon or Humza Yousaf to serve in Government.

Mr Beattie briefly stepped back from his role in August 2020 after being defeated in an internal election by Douglas Chapman, but returned to his post when Mr Chapman resigned less than a year later.

In his resignation letter, Mr Chapman wrote: ‘Despite having a resounding mandate from members to introduce more transparency into the party’s finances, I have not received the support or financial information to carry out the fiduciary duties of National Treasurer.

Former SNP Chief Executive Peter Murrell was arrested two weeks ago but was later released without charge (Picture: Getty)

‘Regretfully I have resigned with immediate effect.’

Between 2017 and 2020, the SNP raised a total of £666,953 through referendum-related appeals.

The party pledged to spend these funds on the independence campaign.

However, questions were raised after its accounts showed it had just under £97,000 in the bank at the end of 2019, prompting calls for the party to explain how it had accounted for the missing funds.

In August 2021, Mr Beattie sought to reassure members in a statement released alongside the party’s accounts, saying: ‘There has been concern expressed in some quarters that this system does not result in a separate fund being officially recorded in the annual accounts of the party.

‘Hence a claim from some that the money does not exist.

‘In fact, the money is earmarked through the internal process set out above and will be deployed fully through future cash flow for the purpose of promoting a referendum on independence and campaigns intended to secure independence.’