Wife of ex-Scottish First Minister freed
Peter Murrell, the wife of former Scottish regional first minister and Scottish National Party (SNP) leader Nicola Sturgeon, and former party leader Peter Murrell have been released after being detained as part of an investigation into SNP funding .
In a Scottish police statement, Murrell, 58, who is married to Sturgeon, was released after his arrest and no charges were brought against him. On the other hand, the statement indicated that the police investigation continues.
Shortly before the release of his wife, Murrell, a former head of the party organization, Sturgeon said she had no prior knowledge of her husband’s detention.
Murrell resigned last month as party chief, which he had held since 1999, citing responsibility for misleading statements about declining party membership.
POLICE SEARCH HOUSE
As part of the investigation launched in July 2021 into the financing of the ruling SNP in Scotland, the police began a search of the party headquarters and some addresses yesterday morning. As part of the investigation, Murrell, the wife of former Prime Minister Sturgeon, who was chief executive of the SNP for 24 years from 1999 until last month, was arrested at 07:45 local time.
In addition, the SNP’s Edinburgh building and the home of the Murrell-Sturgeon couple in Glasgow were also cordoned off. All the curtains in the house were closed while the police who came to search the house of former Prime Minister Sturgeon set up tents in the garden.
The investigation into party funding was launched following allegations made after the SNP raised 600,000 pounds (about 15 million lira) to use for its second independence referendum campaign. Among the complaints is that the money collected is not used for campaign expenses, but for the daily expenses of the party.
Sturgeon, the Scottish regional first minister at the time, who made a statement at the time the inquiry was opened, said he was not concerned about the inquiry, saying every penny was raised to be used for independence campaigns. (AA)