THE chair of the Scottish Conservatives was last night dragged into the row over proxy donors, after saying he once gave £10,000 to the party under his wife's name.
Richard Keen QC, one of Scotland's most respected lawyers, said he gave the money when Dean of the Faculty of Advocates, a position which made an open donation problematic.
The SNP said the Scottish Tories, who launch their election campaign in Edinburgh tomorrow, needed to "guarantee that no dodgy donations have been used to fund Tory campaigns".
The row follows recent TV and newspaper sting operations against the LibDems, in which would-be donors were advised how to get round the rules on declaring donations.
All donations above £7500 must be declared to the Electoral Commission, which then publishes the name of the person, company or union behind it.
However one undercover 'donor' to the LibDems, who was introduced to Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander, was told money could be given via a cousin to avoid publicity.
Using a proxy donor to disguise the identity of the true donor is potentially illegal.
After the revelations, Ibrahim Taguri, the party's former chief fundraiser, subsequently stood down as the LibDem general election candidate in Brent Central.
Last week, the LibDem peer Lord Strasburger also resigned the party whip after he was filmed by Channel 4's Dispatches offering advice to an undercover reporter who met Nick Clegg.
The reporter was told money could be routed via his stepfather.
The LibDems subsequently asked the Electoral Commission to investigate the matter.
In the case of the Keen donation, £10,000 was declared to the Commission as having been donated by Jane C Keen to Conservative Central Office in July 2009.
Commission records obtained under Freedom of Information law show she was recorded as an "individual" donor, in a filing signed off by party treasurer Ian McIsaac.
But in a tape-recorded lunch with journalists last year, Keen said he was the source.
Asked why he hadn't donated to the party given his personal wealth, he said he had given.
When it was pointed out his wife had donated not him, he said: "Well, I gave it through my wife."
Keen later asked how the Sunday Herald knew about the donation.
When it was explained it was a matter of public record, he said: "I'm not sure it was my wife's donation, but there we are".
Despite Keen's reputation for complete mastery of the facts in court, the Scottish Tories insisted the money had come from his wife, a former nurse he married in 1978.
An SNP spokesman: "At a time when all of the Westminster parties are embroiled in scandals over donations and cash for access, it's important that all parties abide by the rules to ensure that public trust in politics does not fall further.
"It's clear Richard Keen has questions to answer - Ruth Davidson must urgently look into this issue and give a guarantee that no dodgy donations have been used to fund Tory campaigns."
Keen, 61 today, was elected Dean of the Faculty of Advocates in 2007.
When he was appointed chair of the Scottish Tories in November 2013, he immediately announced he would step down as Dean to avoid any clash with his new political role.
Dubbed the Rottweiler for his courtroom ferocity, and reputedly the highest paid member of the Scottish Bar, Keen was the personal pick of Scottish leader Ruth Davidson as Tory chair, a choice endorsed by David Cameron.
Second only to Davidson, his role is to chair the party's management board, develop political strategy, liaise with the UK Conservatives, and help improve election operations.
A spokesman for the Scottish Conservatives said: "The donation in question was made by Mrs Keen and properly declared by the Conservative Party at that time. Of course Mrs Keen is a supporter of the Party and was not giving the donation in any kind of proxy capacity."
Exchange between Sunday Herald and Scottish Tory chair Richard Keen, June 2014
SH: Why haven't you given money to the party? You're worth a bob
RK: Well, I have, in the past, given money to the party
SH: Your wife has. You haven't
RK: Well, then my wife has
SH: Why haven't you given money then?
RK: Well, I gave it through my wife
Eight minutes later...
RK: How did you find out about the donation to the party, is that...
SH: Public record
RK: I suppose if it's over £7500 it would have to be recorded
SH: I'm just nosey that way
RK: I'm not sure it was my wife's donation, but there we are
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