Nicola Sturgeon, the former first minister of Scotland, has been released without charge following her arrest by the police. The arrest was made in connection with an ongoing investigation into the funding and finances of the Scottish National Party (SNP). The arrest took place at 10:09 AM on Sunday, and after being questioned by detectives, Sturgeon was released from custody at 5:24 PM on the same day. In a statement released after her release, Sturgeon maintained her innocence, stating that she has not committed any wrongdoing.
The police have stated that they will be sending a report to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service. The investigation, which has been ongoing for the past two years, focuses on the whereabouts of £660,000 in donations that were given to the SNP by independence activists for a future independence referendum campaign.
During the questioning, the police were allowed to interrogate Sturgeon for a maximum of 12 hours before deciding whether to press charges or release her for further inquiries. It is important to note that if a suspect is released pending further investigations, they can be re-arrested at a later date.
Following her release, Sturgeon took to Twitter to publish a statement expressing her shock and distress at finding herself in this situation. She acknowledged the difficulty that the ongoing investigation poses for the public and expressed gratitude for the continued faith and support she has received. Sturgeon also thanked her family for providing strength during this challenging time. She concluded her statement by affirming her commitment to representing her constituents in Glasgow Southside and her intention to return to Parliament soon.
Sturgeon stepped down as the first minister and leader of the SNP in March, with Humza Yousaf succeeding her. Calls have been made by opposition politicians and even some within the SNP, such as Angus MacNeil, for Yousaf to suspend Sturgeon from the party. MacNeil expressed his belief that Sturgeon should face suspension, highlighting that she had suspended others from the party for lesser offenses.
The arrest of Nicola Sturgeon follows the earlier arrest of her husband, former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell, in April. Police officers conducted a search at their home in Glasgow as part of Operation Branchform, an investigation that is linked to the same probe into SNP finances. The SNP headquarters in Edinburgh were also searched on the same day, and a luxury motorhome was seized from outside Murrell’s mother’s home in Dunfermline. The party’s treasurer, Colin Beattie, was also arrested two weeks later and subsequently resigned from his position.
The Branchform investigation was initiated following complaints regarding the whereabouts of £666,954 that was donated to the SNP by activists for a future independence referendum campaign. The party’s accounts revealed that it had approximately £97,000 in the bank at the end of 2019, with total net assets of around £272,000. It was revealed last year that Murrell had provided a loan of over £100,000 to the SNP to assist with a “cash flow” issue after the previous election. While part of the loan has been repaid, the exact amount owed to Murrell by the party has not been disclosed.
Sturgeon surprised many when she announced on 15 February that she would step down as SNP leader and first minister once her successor was elected. Humza Yousaf won the contest and replaced her in March. Sturgeon denied that the timing of her resignation was influenced by the ongoing police investigation. As Scotland’s longest-serving first minister and the first woman to hold the position, Sturgeon’s tenure has been significant in Scottish politics.