Nicola Sturgeon’s husband Peter Murrell arrested as cops probe SNP finances
NICOLA Sturgeon’s husband Peter Murrell has been arrested amid a police probe into the SNP’s finances.
The 58-year-old former Nats chief executive is currently being questioned by detectives as they carry out searches at different properties.
Officers swooped on the couple’s home, near Glasgow, as part of their investigation into the SNP’s funding and finances today.
Images show police at the scene in Uddingston since around 8.30am this morning.
Two marked cop vans and a white transit sit outside, while around 20 officers stand guard.
A police tent is also set up on the driveway and the grass outside the home.
Officers have also swooped on the SNP’s headquarters in Edinburgh as part of the investigation.
A number of police vans were seen also seen parked outside of the SNP offices at Jackson’s Entry.
We told how Nats chiefs have been under investigation over the past 18 months after questions over nearly £500,000 of “missing” cash from an IndyRef2 online crowdfunder in 2017.
The cops’ Operation Branchform was launched in July 2021 to investigate claims from some activists that money raised in 2017 – which the SNP said was specifically for a referendum campaign – was spent on other things.
It’s also claimed a £107,620 loan in 2021 from former chief exec Mr Murrell to bail out the Nats from “cash flow” issues is also being looked at by police as part of the investigation.
A neighbour told the Scottish Sun: “The cops arrived around 8.30am and stopped outside my house.
“I actually asked them if I had anything to worry about but that said it was fine.
“They said they were on business to see a high-profile neighbour and they couldn’t give me any more details.
“They started arriving in numbers after that.
“It’s not without drama living next to them.”
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “A 58-year-old man has today, Wednesday, 5 April 2023, been arrested as a suspect in connection with the ongoing investigation into the funding and finances of the Scottish National Party.
“The man is in custody and is being questioned by Police Scotland detectives.
“Officers are also carrying out searches at a number of addresses as part of the investigation.
“A report will be sent to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service.
“The matter is active for the purposes of the Contempt of Court Act 1981 and the public are therefore advised to exercise caution if discussing it on social media.
“As the investigation is ongoing we are unable to comment further.”
The force added: “Officers are carrying out a number of searches as part of the ongoing investigation.”
The SNP has released a statement following the arrest of its former chief executive Mr Murrell.
It said: “Clearly it would not be appropriate to comment on any live police investigation but the SNP have been co-operating fully with this investigation and will continue to do so.
“At its meeting on Saturday, the governing body of the SNP, the NEC, agreed to a review of governance and transparency – that will be taken forward in the coming weeks.”
A spokesperson for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service said: “COPFS will continue to work with police in this ongoing investigation.
“It is standard practice that any case regarding politicians is dealt with by prosecutors without the involvement of the Law Officers.”
Commenting, Scottish Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie said: “This is a deeply concerning development and the Police Scotland investigation must be allowed to proceed without interference.”
Scottish Conservative shadow constitution secretary Donald Cameron MSP, said: “Senior SNP politicians, including Nicola Sturgeon and Humza Yousaf, must cooperate fully with the investigation into this very serious case and commit to openness and transparency.
“While there is an ongoing police investigation into the SNP’s finances, and given that a suspect has now been arrested, it is right that due process is followed and any potential wrongdoing investigated thoroughly by the police.”
Mr Murrell, who married Ms Sturgeon in 2010, had been SNP’s chief executive from 1999 until last month when he handed in his resignation.
He oversaw 14 national election wins during his 24-year spell with the party.
But he had been under pressure over his handling of the leadership election, with claims around “secrecy” and “vote rigging” in the contest to replace his wife.
Ms Sturgeon resigned as First Minister after eight years in February. She came to power in 2014 after the resignation of Alex Salmond.
And the MSP is the longest-serving and first female First Minister since the creation of the Scottish Parliament in 1999.
After Ms Sturgeon stepped down, the race was on to find her replacement before she was succeeded by Humza Yousaf.
The public and press called for the SNP to reveal its membership figures.
The party’s national executive committee agreed to publish the figure, which was 72,186 as of February 2023, down from 104,000 members in 2021.
Murrell quit in disgrace after the Nats HQ – which he ran for 24 years – fibbed about the plummeting membership numbers, with the party losing 30,000 members in a matter of months.
More to follow.
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