NICOLA Sturgeon has refused to suspend a high-profile SNP general election candidate whose past work as a lawyer is the subject of a professional misconduct probe.
The party said Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh would remain the candidate in Ochil and South Perthshire, a seat she won for the SNP in 2015 with a majority of 10,168 votes.
Labour and the Tories said she should be suspended "immediately".
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It followed the Daily Mail revealing Ms Ahmed-Sheikh, a former Tory who joined the SNP in 2000 as a protegee of Alex Salmond, was being investigated by the Law Society of Scotland.
The paper said the Society launched its investigation several weeks ago, when the SNP could have substituted a fresh candidate in the seat.
The probe was said to be based on Ms Ahmed-Sheikh’s former law firm Hamilton Burns.
The former solicitor worked for firm until 2015 before standing down after her election, but remains a partner in it, according to the parliament’s register of interests.
Ms Ahmed-Sheikh, 46, confirmed “administrative matters” were being checked by the Society, but said she would fight on as an SNP candidate.
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She said: “I'm proud of my 17-year career in the legal profession.
“I am aware that issues have been raised with the Law Society in relation to administrative matters during my time at my former firm.
“The Law Society has a duty to uphold professional standards and they must be allowed to do so without prejudice.
"In the meantime, I’m getting on with fighting this election campaign and seeking re-election to stand up for the people of Ochil and South Perthshire."
Ms Ahmed-Sheikh is a senior member of the SNP, and sits on its ruling National Executive Committee.
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In a letter to Ms Sturgeon, Scottish Labour election campaign director James Kelly, said the circumstances appeared so serious Ms Ahmed-Sheikh should be suspended “immediately”.
He wrote: “The voters in Ochil and South Perthshire need immediate answers on this - they cannot go to the polls without all the information being made available to them.”
He said: “Nicola Sturgeon must make it clear if she will continue to support Mrs Ahmed-Sheikh as an SNP candidate, and in the wake of a series of scandals it once again raises questions about the party’s vetting process.
“Voters on 8 June have an opportunity to reject Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh at the ballot box and get a Labour MP who will fight against another divisive independence referendum.”
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Tory MSP Murdo Fraser added: “These are serious allegations and, four weeks out from an election, the voters of Ochil and South Perthshire need an immediate explanation.
"It would be utterly unacceptable for the SNP to try and brush this under the carpet. For once, they need to be straight with people.
“If an investigation has been launched, then the SNP should do exactly as they did with their former MP Michelle Thomson and suspend Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh immediately."
An SNP spokesperson said: “The party is aware that administrative matters relating to Tasmina’s time at her former firm are being looked into.
“Hundreds of issues are raised with the Law Society every year and it is right that they investigate them.
“She has co-operated fully and is continuing her campaign to be a strong voice for the people of Ochil and South Perthshire."
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The Law Society of Scotland was severely criticised in 2015 over his secretive handling of a complaint involving the then SNP MP Michelle Thomson, whose solicitor was struck off for his part in 13 property deals connected to Ms Thomson and her businesses.
The Society refused to comment on the claims around Ms Ahmed-Sheikh, other than to confirm she remained on the roll of solicitors but did not currently hold a practising certificate.
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