Complaint
The programme included an interview with the Deputy First Minister of Scotland on the day after the SNP鈥檚 Treasurer had been arrested and questioned by police in connection with their inquiry into the party鈥檚 finances.听 A listener complained the interviewer had 鈥渕ade a claim that was false鈥 in suggesting 鈥淣icola Sturgeon was a signatory on the most recent set of audited accounts and may therefore be arrested鈥. 聽The ECU considered the complaints in the light of the 麻豆社鈥檚 editorial standards of accuracy.
Outcome
The interviewer had asked the Deputy First Minister 鈥淎re you concerned the next set of headlines could be that Nicola Sturgeon is arrested because the only other signatories on the last set of audited accounts for the SNP have both been brought in by the police for questioning?鈥.听 Although Ms Sturgeon had not personally signed the accounts, she was one of three senior officers on the party named on the accounts on whose behalf the then-Treasurer had signed them, and the only one who had not yet been arrested for questioning by police.听 In that context, and as there was widespread media speculation about the possibility of her arrest, there was no material inaccuracy in describing her as a signatory on the accounts or putting the possibility of her arrest to the Deputy First Minister for comment.
Not upheld