(Story) MSPs reject calls for Unexplained Wealth Order into Donald Trump's finances

[soothsayer]

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Martyn McLaughlin
@MartynMcL
·
Feb 3, 2021
NEW: MSPs have rejected calls for the Scottish Government to go to court in order to investigate the source of financing for Donald Trump’s Scottish properties.

MSPs reject calls for Unexplained Wealth Order into Donald Trump's finances
scotsman.com

https://t.co/CK4q2gAnLw

Martyn McLaughlin
@MartynMcL
The central argument which defeated the motion was that were ministers to go to court, it would constitute an abuse of power, and undermine the criminal justice system.

.@patrickharvie, who brought the motion, said an application for an UWO would not constitute a prosecution, but rather "asking for information" about Mr Trump's finances.

Responding, @HumzaYousaf, the justice secretary, said that he deplored Mr Trump. But he stressed that were ministers to go to court, it would be tantamount to an "abuse of power," one that would "fundamentally undermine our justice system."

Mr Yousaf also said that Scotland's Civil Recovery Unit, which reports to the Lord Advocate, does not confirm or deny any investigations it is undertaking. "Any member who says there is not an investigation going on is merely speculating," he told parliament.

[Fiendish Thingy]

1. So Scotland can still investigate Trump, just not at the behest of parliament? Nt

[soothsayer]

2. And might or might not already be doing it?

[Denzil_DC]

4. Think of it like the separation of powers in the US.

The Scottish Parliament voting to directly petition the Scottish Court of Session for pursuit of an Unexplained Wealth Order would have been an openly political act. There have long been questions over the funding of Trump's resorts, but there's currently no court case to spur this course of action, so the order would have been a fishing expedition.

There are legal procedures for pursuing such an order that need to be undertaken by the Civil Recovery Unit, which reports to the Lord Advocate.

There have been very few grants of such an order since it was created in 2017. They've generally been used when wrongdoing is revealed in the course of other judicial cases that gives grounds for suspicion.

[RANDYWILDMAN]

3. Something seems Fishy here