Nicola Sturgeon today refused to answer questions about whether her husband is ‘innocent’ as she made her first public return to Holyrood since his dramatic arrest.
The former SNP leader, speaking to reporters in the Scottish Parliament, was questioned about his detention as part of a police investigation into spending £600,000 on donations.
Ms Sturgeon, who left as Scotland’s first minister at the end of March, said she was ‘absolutely sure I did nothing wrong’.
He continues to defy calls – including from senior SNP figures – to step down from the SNP as Police Scotland’s Operation Branchform continues.
Ms Sturgeon claimed that suspending her SNP membership would ‘compromise my ability and my right to assert my position, which I have done nothing wrong’.
But the former first minister refused to answer when asked if her husband Peter Murrell – the former chief executive of the SNP who was previously arrested in April as part of a police investigation – was ‘innocent’.
Nicola Sturgeon refused to answer questions about whether her husband was ‘innocent’ as she made her first public return to Holyrood since his dramatic arrest
The former SNP leader, speaking to reporters in the Scottish Parliament, was questioned about his detention as part of a police investigation into spending £600,000 on donations.
Asked if her husband Peter Murrell – the former SNP chief executive who was arrested as part of a police investigation in April – was ‘innocent’, Ms Sturgeon refused to answer.
Mr Murrell’s arrest came just before a two-day police search of his and Ms Sturgeon’s home in Glasgow.
Police investigating SNP finances – what’s happened so far
May 2021 – Douglas Chapman resigns from his role as SNP Treasurer, saying he was not given enough information to do his job
July 2021 – Police Scotland confirm they are investigating after seven complaints were made about donations to the SNP. It was moved after it was alleged to have raised £600,000 to campaign for Scottish independence.
August 2021 – As the party’s annual accounts are published, new SNP treasurer Colin Beattie admits ‘concerns’ about the transparency of independence-related appeals which have raised more than £600,000.
December 2022 – It emerges that Peter Murrell, the SNP chief executive, loaned the party £100,000 in June 2021.
February 2023 – Nicola Sturgeon suddenly announces her resignation. He says it wasn’t related to short-term pressure but because he knew in his ‘head and heart’ that the time was right to go.
March 2023 – Amid the SNP leadership race to replace Ms Sturgeon, her husband Mr Murrell announces he is stepping down as party chief executive amid a dispute over party membership.
5 April 2023 – Mr Murrell was arrested and released without charge pending further inquiries the same day.
9 April 2023 – A luxury camper van is seized by police investigating SNP finances, worth around £110,000.
18 April 2023 – Mr Beattie is arrested and interviewed by police. He subsequently resigned as SNP treasurer.
May 2023 – SNP appoints AMS accountancy group as their new auditors. Their previous auditor, Johnston Carmichael, resigned in September 2022.
11 June 2023 – Nicola Sturgeon is arrested and questioned by officers for over seven hours before being released without charge.
Ms Sturgeon replied: ‘Before I say what I’m going to say, I’m saying it as a factual statement – not a loaded statement that you should read one way or another.
‘But in a situation like this I can only speak for myself and I only speak for myself.’
Ms Sturgeon admitted the past few weeks had ‘not been the best time of my life’.
He added: ‘It’s not an easy time. I’m not saying this for sympathy… the thing that’s sustaining me right now is that I haven’t done anything wrong.
‘It is a faith and a certainty that I have.’
Ms Sturgeon was released without charge on June 11 after more than seven hours of questioning as part of an investigation into the SNP’s finances.
He is the third senior SNP figure to be arrested as part of Operation Branchform.
It follows the arrests in April of her husband Mr Murrell and former SNP treasurer Colin Beattie, who were both released without charge.
Mr Murrell’s arrest came just before a two-day police search of his and Ms Sturgeon’s Glasgow home.
It saw a blue forensics tent set up at the front of the property, while officers were seen scouring both the inside of the house and outside in the back garden.
Soon after, a luxury camper van – believed to be worth around £110,000 – was seized by police.
Ahead of Ms Sturgeon’s return to the Scottish Parliament today, her successor Humza Yousaf told Sky News he was ‘not surprised’ her predecessor was returning to Holyrood.
Asked if the part she wished she wasn’t coming back to, the SNP leader said: ‘No, not at all.
‘He is a very good parliamentarian. He has made a good contribution and so I am not surprised that he is returning to Parliament.’
He added: ‘He has been released without charge, continuing to represent his constituency.
‘I will continue to represent my constituency and ensure that I lead the country as Scotland’s First Minister.’
Ms Sturgeon stepped down as First Minister and SNP leader in March and the party’s popularity plummeted following dramatic developments in the police investigation.
A Panelbase poll this weekend shows Labor is set to win more seats than the SNP at the next general election
But Mr Youssef denied his party and Ms Sturgeon’s current problems would be a ‘death knell’ for the SNP’s campaign for Scottish independence.
Humza Yusuf insists Nicola Sturgeon still has a ‘good contribution’ to make and denies her plight represents a ‘death knell’ for the SNP’s independence dreams
Mr Youssef claimed support for breaking up the UK remains ‘absolutely difficult’ among Scottish voters despite ‘really tough’ times for his party.
The First Minister said: ‘I don’t believe it at all. What I do believe is that, yes, the last few months have been extremely challenging for the SNP – I’m not going to fool your audience by denying that.
‘Even in spite of a difficult few weeks, perhaps the most difficult couple of months in the recent history of our party, support for independence is absolutely solid.
‘So we’ve got that strong support for independence, my job is to make sure that when these issues are passed – and they will be – we continue to build on the strong foundations that have seen Scotland elected by the people of Scotland after the election. After the election.
‘The next national test, of course, will be that general election and I have every confidence that we will go into that election hoping to win.’
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