A former SNP MP has been jailed for two years after being found guilty of embezzlement.
Natalie McGarry, who represented Glasgow East between 2015 and 2017, embezzled nearly £ 25,000 from two pro-independence groups.
A jury last month found her guilty by a majority of a £ 19,974 embezzlement charge while she was treasurer of Women for Independence (WFI) between April 26, 2013 and November 30, 2015.
Condemning McGarry, Sheriff Tom Hughes said he had betrayed people who trusted her and that a prison sentence was inevitable.
He told him: “It is quite clear that society has a right to expect the highest standards from those who seek and eventually get high public office.”
He added: “Through your role in these crimes, you have not only betrayed the trust placed by others in you, but your standards have fallen far short of what the public should be entitled to expect from parliamentarians.”
During the six-week trial, the court heard dozens of witnesses, including former Scottish Health Secretary Jeane Freeman, who said she sued McGarry after noticing a significant deficit in WFI accounts.
Freeman said he had no idea that donations made to Crowdfunder for the group’s independence went from the organization’s PayPal account to McGarry’s personal bank account.
He also expressed frustration at McGarry’s delay in delivering receipts and invoices that would show where the funds had been spent.
The court also heard from witnesses that McGarry had personal financial difficulties and regularly received loans from family and friends.
This included Humza Yousaf, the current Scottish health secretary, who gave McGarry £ 600 to prevent her from being evicted from her home.
The court also saw McGarry’s bank records, which showed that WFI’s Crowdfunder donations were being transferred to his personal account.
It includes £ 10,472.52 on 29 April 2014 and £ 9,848.70 plus on 12 November 2014, which used to pay rent and purchases.
McGarry had said these were “legitimate” expenses she had incurred and for which she was reimbursing herself.
McGarry was elected as a member of the SNP in 2015, but resigned from the party following allegations of fraud, which he denied.
She continued in Parliament as an independent MP representing Glasgow East, but did not seek re-election in 2017.