A campaign to pay the legal bills of northern isles MP Alistair Carmichael has raised nearly £2,500.
The Liberal Democrat MP for Orkney and Shetland is currently involved in a court hearing, faced with allegations he “acted dishonourably” in the run-up to the General Election in May.
Four of his constituents have raised an election petition against him, claiming he misled voters over the leaking of a memo about First Minister Nicola Sturgeon’s meeting with a French ambassador.
The petition followed a successful crowdfunding campaign which raised £88,000 to bring the case to court.
Now, a similar campaign has been launched by Sheila Ritchie on www.gofundme.com, which has so far raised £2,445 towards a target of £50,000.
The funding page states: “During the election he made a mistake which the SNP has blown out of all proportion. They are using a vague law to try and overturn the election result, even though what he did is not related at all to his hard work on behalf of his constituents.
“This is nothing more than a ruthless attempt by the SNP to eliminate any remaining opposition to them in Scotland. Alistair is a fantastic local MP, and we need to stand up for him now.”
The hearing, at a specially-convened election court, was adjourned yesterday, following two days of evidence.
Judge Lady Paton, presiding, will release a written submission in due course.