Former Chief Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon She has been released without charge this Sunday after being arrested a few hours earlier for allegedly irregularly financing her party. The arrest of her has been announced by the Scottish police in a statement, in which she has reported that it occurs within the framework of the branchform operationwhich investigates whether there has been fraud in the collection of income for the Scottish National Party (SNPs). Sturgeon, who resigned from her position last February, is the third person arrested in this process, for which her husband was also arrested, Peter Murrelljust two months ago.
The investigations have focused so far on about €780,000 which the SNP raised to supposedly finance their campaign for a new independence referendum in Scotland. Police questioned Murrell, the party’s former chief executive, and arrested the party’s former treasurer a few days later. Colin Beattie, although the two were released without charge hours later pending further progress in the investigation. On the table is also a loan that Murrell himself made to the training of more than €100,000alleging lack of liquidity.
sturgeon always has denied any wrongdoing and has de-linked this investigation from his resignation earlier this year. At that time, his popularity was already damaged by the failure to call a second referendum and by the controversial gender recognition law, which aims to facilitate the change of legally recognized gender for trans people. A spokesperson for the former prime minister has confirmed her arrest and has insisted that she has always shown her willingness to “cooperate with the investigation and will continue to do so.”
Related news
In addition to the arrests, police also carried out searches in April at the couple’s home and at the SNP headquarters, seizing boxes of documents and computers, and seizing a luxury trailer parked in front of Murrell’s mother’s house.
drop in polls
The arrests have dealt a new blow to a formation that is in free fall in the polls. Sturgeon’s successor in office, Humza Yousaf, has tried to attract its voters again, but its continuing profile with the previous management is not convincing the voters for now. The current chief minister has acknowledged that he is unaware of some of the details of the investigation, while the opposition criticism. “Humza Yousaf must urgently clarify what he knows: the people of Scotland deserve answers & rdquor ;, Labor member Ian Murray said after learning of the arrest. Pending what the investigators conclude, the case is already shaking the foundations of the party and its political aspirations.