THE Metropolitan Police have decided not to launch a probe into Tory "cash for honours" claims following a complaint from the SNP.
Pete Wishart, the SNP frontbencher, wrote to the Commissioner on Monday urging the force to investigate after The Sunday Times and Open Democracy found 15 of the last 16 of the Conservative Party's treasurers have been offered a seat in the Lords having each donated more than £3 million to the party.
The matter was then passed by the Commissioner to the Met's special enquiry team who tonight said they had "insufficient evidence" to open an criminal investigation.
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Detective Inspector Trevor Normoyle, from the unit, told Wishart in his letter sent today: "The Metropolitan Police have considered the material available and the relevant legislation and I am now writing to inform you that there is insufficient information upon which to launch a criminal investigation.
"In coming to this decision we have considered the legislation raised in your letter, namely the Honours (Prevention of Abuses) Act 1925, and have also considered other potentially relevant offences."
He added that "should further information regarding these matters be provided to the Metropolitan Police this will of course be considered".
Responding to the Met's announcement Wishart (above) said the handing of peerages to Tory donors "absolutely stinks".
“If it is not illegal to hand out peerages in return for millions of pounds in donations then it should be illegal – and it is absolute proof that Westminster is institutionally corrupt," he said.
“The fact that Boris Johnson, and his predecessors, have handed peerages to dozens of millionaire Tory Party donors absolutely stinks and it is an appalling abuse of the system.
"The independence of the Police is paramount and we respect their decision, which is based on the evidence that is immediately available and the law as it stands.
"However, the fact that the Tories could get away with the shameful practice of dishing out peerages to their wealthy donors proves that the Westminster system is broken beyond repair and will never be fixed."
He added: "The Tories might have got off the hook for now but the court of public opinion will find them guilty as charged. People in Scotland are looking in horror at what's going on at Westminster. The sooner Scotland can become an independent country, and shake off this broken system, the better.”
An investigation by The Sunday Times and Open Democracy last weekend found that 15 of the 16 main Tory treasurers over the past two decades have been handed peerages - after each donating more than £3million to the party.
The report found that, since 2010, 22 of the Tory Party's main financial donors have been given peerages after donating a combined £54million. In addition, two Labour Party and five Liberal Democrat major donors have also been handed peerages.
Wishart had called on Labour to also lodge a complaint.
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