FORMER SCOTTISH FIRST minister Nicola Sturgeon was yesterday arrested in connection with an ongoing probe into the SNP’s finances.
She was questioned for around seven hours before she was released without charge.
She is the third, high-profile SNP politician to be arrested in connection with alleged irregularities in the party’s finances after complaints were raised almost two years ago.
Sturgeon has made history as the first woman to become Scottish first minister, and was also the longest-serving incumbent in that post – dealing with no fewer than five different Conservative prime ministers in her time in the job.
So, who has Sturgeon’s career lead up to the point of her being arrested? What’s going on with the SNP finances? Let’s take a look.
Nicola Sturgeon joined the SNP at the age of 16.
She secured her first role as Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Glasgow in 1999 and remained in that position until 2007.
She then represented Glasgow Govan as an MSP between 2007 and 2011 before becoming an MSP for Glasgow Southside.
When the SNP narrowly won the 2007 Holyrood election, Alex Salmond became first minister with Sturgeon, who was depute leader of the party, becoming the deputy first minister.
She became first minister in November 2014 after Salmond stood down in the aftermath of the independence referendum that year – which saw Scots vote by 55% to 45% to stay part of the UK.
Such was her popularity that just after taking over as SNP leader she addressed a sell-out crowd at Glasgow’s Hydro – an achievement usually reserved for pop and rock stars.
Membership soared, so that at one point under her leadership the party was the second largest in the UK, and in the 2015 general election the party enjoyed record-breaking success, winning all but three of the 59 seats up for grabs north of the border.
Sturgeon used her time as first minister to champion causes such as women’s equality, the plight of youngsters in care, and climate change, declaring back in 2019 that the latter issue was an “emergency” the world’s political leaders needed to tackle.
Her time in the top job saw Glasgow host the Cop26 UN summit, insisting that the agreement reached there represented “progress” in tackling the issue.
That summit took place in November 2021, having been delayed by a year by Covid, which saw Sturgeon widely praised for her approach, with the then first minister holding daily briefings to update Scots throughout much of the pandemic.
While she led the SNP to electoral success – the party won every election in Scotland during her spell in charge – critics questioned her record.
She famously said people should judge her on her record on closing the attainment gap in Scotland’s schools, with her opponents insisting she failed to make enough progress on this.
The controversial issue of gender recognition reform, which was championed by Sturgeon, divided her party and attracted a storm of criticism from women’s rights campaigners.
Meanwhile, sexual harassment allegations brought against Salmond saw her relationship with the man who had been her political ally and mentor crumble.
And while Salmond was cleared of all the criminal charges brought against him, a Holyrood committee was set up to probe the Scottish Government’s handling of the allegations after the Court of Session ruled that this had been unlawful – with Sturgeon grilled by the committee for the best part of a day.
An independent review later cleared the then first minister of breaching the ministerial code but the cross-party committee found by majority that she had misled the parliament.
Her tenure as first minister brought Scotland no closer to independence, with the UK Supreme Court ruling in November 2022 that the Scottish Parliament did not have the powers to hold a second referendum without the consent of Westminster.
On 15 February, Nicola Sturgeon shocked many when she announced she was stepping down as first minister and as leader of the SNP in a hastily arranged press conference.
She denied that this was in response to “short-term pressures”, and instead said that the time is “right for me, for my party and my country”.
“In my head and in my heart, I know that time is now,” said Sturgeon.
Just over a month later and amid the leadership contest to replace Sturgeon, on 18 March, her husband Peter Murrell announced his resignation as the SNP’s chief executive with immediate effect.
It came during a row over the party’s membership numbers, which also led to media chief Murray Foote stepping down.
Membership numbers had dropped by about 30,000 in the last year, something the party previously denied.
Foote said that after speaking to the party’s HQ, he had issued responses to the media which had “serious issues” and he later decided there was a “serious impediment” to his role.
Now, let’s rewind for a moment.
In May 2021, Douglas Chapman resigned from his role as the SNP’s treasurer, saying he had not been given enough information to do his job.
Senior figures in the party, including Sturgeon, later disputed his assessment.
In July of the same year, Police Scotland confirmed they were investigating after seven complaints were made around donations to the SNP.
The SNP said that “all sums raised for independence campaigning will be spent on independence campaigning”.
Last December, it then emerged that Murrell had loaned the SNP £100,000 in June 2021, but the party said this was to help with a “cash flow” issue after the election that year.
Sturgeon said at the time: “The resources that he lent the party were resources that belonged to him.”
On 5 April, Murrell was arrested in connection with a long-running Police Scotland investigation into the spending of about £600,000 (€686,000) which was earmarked for Scottish independence campaigning.
There was a large police presence around his home in Glasgow as well as the SNP’s headquarters in Edinburgh.
He was released without charge, pending further investigation, the same day.
Following her resignation in February, Sturgeon said she did not expect to be interviewed in relation to this financial investigation.
In a statement on the day of Murrell’s arrest, a spokesperson for Sturgeon said: “It would not be appropriate to comment on a live police investigation.
“Nicola Sturgeon had no prior knowledge of Police Scotland’s action or intentions.
“Ms Sturgeon will fully co-operate with Police Scotland if required, however at this time no such request has been made.”
On 18 April, party treasurer Colin Beattie was arrested and interviewed by police. He was also released without charge.
Stuart McDonald MP was appointed as the SNP’s new treasurer on April 22 after Beattie stood down with “immediate effect” following his arrest.
Yesterday, Nicola Sturgeon was arrested as part of a police investigation into the SNP’s finances.
She was questioned for around seven hours on Sunday before she was released without charge at about 5.25pm.
After being released from custody pending further investigation on Sunday, the former SNP leader tweeted her “shock” and “distress” at the situation.
She said: “To find myself in the situation I did today when I am certain I have committed no offence is both a shock and deeply distressing.
“I know that this ongoing investigation is difficult for people, and I am grateful that so many continue to show faith in me and appreciate that I would never do anything to harm either the SNP or the country.”
STATEMENT pic.twitter.com/MlpWJGzwi0
— Nicola Sturgeon (@NicolaSturgeon) June 11, 2023
Sturgeon went on to say that she was “innocent of any wrongdoing,” adding: “Obviously, given the nature of this process, I cannot go into detail.
“However, I do wish to say this, and to do so in the strongest possible terms. Innocence is not just a presumption I am entitled to in law. I know beyond doubt that I am in fact innocent of any wrongdoing.”
Sturgeon thanked her family and friends for giving her “much-needed strength” at this time and said she would take a “day or two” to process the latest development.
The statement finished: “To the many people who have sent messages of support over these past difficult weeks – including since today’s news broke – thank you for your kindness.
“Thank you also to my close circle of family and friends who are giving me much-needed strength at this time.
“Finally, while I will take a day or two to process this latest development, I intend to be back in Parliament soon where I will continue to represent my Glasgow Southside constituents to the very best of my ability.”
Includes reporting by Press Association
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