Former Scottish independence leader Nicola Sturgeon, who resigned as Prime Minister in February, spent seven hours in police custody on Sunday as part of an investigation into the finances of her political party, the SNP, in term of which she proclaimed her “innocence”. This is a new blow to the Scottish National Party, weakened since the surprise departure of its charismatic leader, who remained in power for eight years.
“I am convinced that I have not committed any crime”
“Finding myself in the situation I was in today, despite being convinced that I have not committed any crime, is both shocking and very distressing,” she said in a statement to the press. from his custody. “I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I am innocent of any wrongdoing,” she said. Earlier, Scottish police announced the “arrest” of a “52-year-old woman … as a suspect in the ongoing investigation into the funding and finances of the Scottish National Party”. .
Nicola Sturgeon was questioned in police custody for around seven hours and released pending further developments, police said. According to the spokeswoman for Nicola Sturgeon, quoted by the PA agency, the former leader had gone of her own free will to this interview with the police. “Nicola has always said that she would cooperate with the investigation (…) and she continues to do so”, continued this spokesperson.
Searches were carried out at several properties, including the home of Nicola Sturgeon and her husband Peter Murrell, where a police tent was erected in the garden, and the SNP headquarters in Edinburgh, according to PA. At the beginning of April, Peter Murrell, who until mid-March was director general of the SNP before resigning from his post, was arrested as part of this investigation, before being released the same evening without prosecution.
A few days later, the treasurer of the SNP, Colin Beattie, was arrested. He was also released without charges being brought against him. He also resigned as treasurer.
The use of donations to organize an independence referendum
The investigations, which started in 2021, then focused in particular on the use of donations of 600,000 pounds sterling (683,000 euros) collected in recent years with a view to organizing a new independence referendum, a project at an impasse in the face of rejection. from London. The media then also raised questions about a loan he allegedly paid to the party.
In opposition, Scottish Labor Party member Ian Murray said the arrest was “a very worrying development”. “For too long, a culture of secrecy and concealment has taken hold at the heart of the SNP,” he said. After eight years at the head of Scotland and a total of 15 years in positions of responsibility in the local executive, Nicola Sturgeon announced his resignation in mid-February to everyone’s surprise, explaining that he lacked energy. During all these years in power, she fought for independence with determination.
The party, weakened by this departure, also emerged divided from the internal campaign which resulted in the appointment in March as Prime Minister of Humza Yousaf, 38. The leader, the first of the Muslim faith at the head of one of the constituent nations of the United Kingdom, is considered to embody continuity after Nicola Sturgeon, with a progressive line on societal issues and a leftist sensitivity on the economy.
On the BBC, Humza Yousaf repeated on Sunday morning that he would be “the leader who will ensure that Scotland becomes an independent nation”. But the fight for independence, a time revived by Brexit and the unpopularity of successive Conservative governments in London, seems to be at an impasse. The Supreme Court has rejected Edinburgh’s desire to hold a new referendum without London’s agreement, after the vote that resulted in a 55% “no” victory in 2014.