Police Scotland announced on Sunday that former first minister Nicola Sturgeon was arrested in relation to party finances. In the statement they said that “a 52-year-old woman has today, Sunday, 11 June, 2023, been arrested as a suspect in connection with the ongoing investigation into the funding and finances of the Scottish National Party. The woman is in custody and is being questioned by Police Scotland detectives.”
Police said that they will send a report to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service and noted that the matter is covered by the Contempt of Court Act 1981, which imposes legal penalties for interfering with investigations or jury members. The statement announcing the arrest was brief, with police saying that they cannot comment further on an ongoing investigation.
Sturgeon’s arrest comes after the former first minister unexpectedly resigned in February. It follows the arrest of her husband, Scottish National Party (SNP) Chief Executive Peter Murell, in relation to party finances under a sting codenamed Operation Branchform. Murrell was later released without charge. Sturgeon will remain in custody until questioning is complete.
This recent arrest raises continued questions about how the SNP runs its finances, particularly about £600,000 given to the party to support their independence campaign, and could create challenges for the new SNP First Minister Humza Yousaf.
Following the original publication of this article, Sturgeon released a statement saying, “innocence is not just a presumption I am entitled to by law. I know beyond doubt that I am in fact innocent of any wrongdoing.”
