Sanctus – The private residence of Sanctarian Conservative Party leader Kate Cruz was raided by members of the Sanctarian Federal Police this evening, with reports suggesting the party is being investigated by the force’s white-collar crime division for major discrepancies in their finances and accounting. The party, which has missed the last two deadlines for filing their accounts, recently admitted the delay was because no auditor wished to take their books for review.
According to party by-laws, as leader Cruz is ultimately responsible for all financial matters of the party, and has final sign-off on party accounts. The move by the Fraud and Financial Crimes Unit of the SFP tonight is, according to their spokesperson, “routine”, with officers seeking “additional documentation, files, and clarification to help in their inquiries”. Cruz was reported to be at home at the time of the surprise search, and is understood to be assisting the SFP, though her office is currently not returning any press calls.
Kate Cruz has been leader of the SCP since a bitterly divisive leadership election in 2018, the fallout of which eventually resulted in her opponent, and now disgraced former politician, Andrew Silk breaking from the SCP to form his own party, the New Sanctaria Party. The SCP under Cruz has advocated for harsh penalties for perpetrators of white collar and financial crimes, so this action by the SFP has surprised nearly all party members and activists.
One shadow cabinet minister when contacted by this paper to ask if they knew what was going on, or if they still had confidence in Cruz has leader after this surprise move by the police replied that “we have to see what is going on first”. Some of Cruz’s opponents in the SCP have already taken to social media to point out “hypocrisy” of the leader, and “deep concern at her actions”; the SFP did stress that there was no one under arrest at the moment, and that the visit to Cruz’s home was entirely “in accordance with SOPs. It is routine to gather more documentation”.
DAVID FLETCHER, Special Correspondent, and GWEN COPLEY, Political Correspondent
