The husband of former Scottish Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon, Peter Murrell, was released without charge on Wednesday night after being held for several hours in connection with an investigation into the finances of the Scottish National Party (SNP), police said.
In a statement, the police also indicated that the officers have conducted searches at “several addresses as part of the investigation” and that a report will be prepared for transmission to the Public Prosecutor’s Office.
Sturgeon announced her resignation as Prime Minister and SNP leadership last February and was replaced last week by Humza Yousaf following internal elections.
The former Independent leader, who retains her seat in Edinburgh’s Holyrood Parliament, “will cooperate fully with Scotland’s police force if necessary, although no requests have been made to date”his spokesman said Wednesday.
Following the arrest, the party issued a statement saying that “it would not be appropriate” to comment on an ongoing police investigation, but added that it is “fully cooperating with this investigation and will continue to do so”.
Peter Murrell resigned as the party’s CEO last month after claiming responsibility for misinformation about the number of SNP militants, who lost 30,000 in a year.
The resignation, after more than 20 years in office, came during the party’s internal election provoked by Nicola Sturgeon, who is citing the “physical and mental impact” he had suffered during eight years as head of the regional government.
The fact that the SNP chief executive was the leader’s husband was the subject of criticism during the campaign and rumors of irregularities and embezzlement circulated.
Source: DN
