Holyrood urged to call police to investigate Michael Matheson’s iPad roaming bill

holyrood urged to call police to investigate michael matheson’s ipad roaming bill

Michael Matheson as he faced questions over his iPad bill in the Scottish Parliament on Thursday – UNPIXS

Holyrood officials have been urged to call in police to investigate Michael Matheson following claims he lied to the parliament’s presiding officer about his iPad expenses bill.

A legal expert said the disgraced former health secretary, who last week quit after racking up £11,000 in data roaming charges which he initially claimed from taxpayers, may have committed fraud.

The MSP stepped down from government ahead of the impending publication of a Holyrood report into his conduct.

It was reported on Sunday that the investigation would find that Mr Matheson lied to Alison Johnstone, the presiding officer and Holyrood’s equivalent to the Commons speaker, about how he came to have used so much data on the device.

He had earlier insisted it had been used only to conduct parliamentary business, only to later change his story, saying he later found out his sons had used it to stream football matches.

Police said following a complaint in November that they were not taking action “at this time”.

holyrood urged to call police to investigate michael matheson’s ipad roaming bill

Humza Yousaf during First Minister’s Questions on Thursday in Edinburgh. He was quizzed over the resignation of Scotland’s health secretary Michael Matheson – JEFF J MITCHELL/GETTY

However, Alistair Bonnington, a former BBC lawyer who was an honorary professor of criminal procedure at the University of Glasgow, said parliamentary authorities should now refer the matter for criminal investigation themselves over the latest revelations.

“This is now clearly a case for the criminal courts,” Mr Bonnington said. “On the face of it, the crime of fraud may have been committed here. The Scottish Parliament must now bring in the police to see that justice is done.”

Mr Matheson has said he found out about his sons’ use of the iPad, while on a family holiday in Morocco, on Nov 9.

However, it is said that in a subsequent meeting with Ms Johnstone, he claimed he did not know why the charges were so high.

Mr Matheson initially insisted publicly that there had been no personal use of the device during his December 2022 holiday.

In early 2023 he paid £3,000 towards the bill from parliamentary expenses and Holyrood covered the rest, after accepting his argument that the charges related to only parliamentary work.

holyrood urged to call police to investigate michael matheson’s ipad roaming bill

Michael Matheson at Dovecot Studios in Edinburgh. He has quit as Scotland’s health secretary in the wake of the scandal over his iPad data roaming charges – JANE BARLOW/PA

However, his account unravelled after his data roaming bill was released, showing most of the data was used on two days when there were major Scottish football matches, including a Rangers v Celtic fixture.

He stuck to the story in public even after he said he was told by his wife that his sons had used the iPad to stream football matches. He confessed to Humza Yousaf on Nov 14 and came clean to the public two days later.

The Sunday Mail reported that Mr Matheson had held a meeting with Ms Johnstone after Nov 9, but failed to inform her about the football matches.

“He has lied flat out to the presiding officer after he found out his kids had used the iPad,” a source told the newspaper.

“He was asked about it and didn’t mention his kids using it whatsoever. It was an extensive meeting.”

The report, by the Scottish Parliament Corporate Body (SPCB), is also said to contain “exchanges where he was resisting telling the truth about the data usage and the reasons behind it”.

Mr Matheson said he quit before seeing the report, though it is believed that he had been made aware of its contents.

‘He has disgraced his office’

The MSP for Falkirk West is also facing calls to refuse a £13,000 payout which he is entitled to as compensation for leaving government.

He is likely to face calls to stand down from Holyrood altogether, once the SPCB report is published in the coming weeks.

Douglas Ross, the Scottish Tory leader, said: “We already knew that Michael Matheson lied to the public and the press.

“But if the report shows he lied to the presiding officer about his iPad use, then his position as an MSP is untenable too.

“He has disgraced his office and shown contempt for the parliament and, therefore, is unfit to be a member of it.”

Mr Ross added: “It’s for Police Scotland to decide whether to prosecute Michael Matheson for fraud based on their assessment of the evidence revealed during parliament’s investigation and final report, but this only reiterates for the full report to be publicly available straight away.”

A Police Scotland spokesman said: “A complaint which had been received in November 2023 was assessed and no further action was taken. Should any further information be received, this will be assessed.”

The SNP and Mr Matheson were approached for comment. The Scottish Parliament declined to comment.

%n

Sign up to the Front Page newsletter for free: Your essential guide to the day’s agenda from The Telegraph – direct to your inbox seven days a week.

News Related

OTHER NEWS

Volkswagen "very worried" about the future of its operations in SA

A senior Volkswagen executive involved in a global cost-cutting strategy said on Friday, 24 November, he was “very worried” about the future of the company’s operations in South Africa, which ... Read more »

Liz Truss backs Trump with call for Republican presidential victory

Photograph: Toby Melville/Reuters Liz Truss, the shortest-serving prime minister in British history, who was famously shown to have a shorter shelf life than a lettuce, has effectively backed Donald Trump ... Read more »

Standard Bank treasonous? We're literally helping to keep the lights on says CEO

Standard Bank treasonous? We're literally helping to keep the lights on says CEO Bruce Whitfield speaks to Lungisa Fuzile, Standard Bank SA CEO. Standard Bank is one of 28 banks ... Read more »

Israel, Hamas agree to extend truce for two days; Musk ‘would like to help rebuild Gaza’

Israel, Hamas agree to extend truce for two days; Musk ‘would like to help rebuild Gaza’ The UN said many people in Gaza still had no food or cooking fuel ... Read more »

This is what Pitso Mosimane said about the African Football League

Mamelodi Sundowns’ former coach, Pitso Mosimane, dismissed the African Football League Jingles shared his opinion and compared it to the CAF league and said that it was a mere tournament ... Read more »

Take note of these N3 road works between Westville and Paradise Valley

Take note of these N3 road works between Westville and Paradise Valley The N3 between the Westville viaduct and Paradise Valley interchange will be partially closed to traffic for the ... Read more »

UKZN medical student bags 2023 Health Excellence Rising Star Award

UKZN medical student bags 2023 Health Excellence Rising Star Award Durban — One of the country’s most progressive young minds in the medical field, fifth-year University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) medical ... Read more »
Top List in the World