LONDON – The husband of former Scottish first minister and Scottish National Party leader Nicola Sturgeon was released from police custody Wednesday evening without being charged after his arrest in a party finance probe, British media reported.
Police Scotland did not identify Peter Murrell as the 58-year-old man arrested “in connection with the ongoing investigation into the funding and finances of the Scottish National Party." However, Britain’s Press Association, the BBC and others reported it was Murrell.
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Scottish police have been investigating how 600,000 pounds ($750,000) earmarked for a Scottish independence campaign was spent.
Murrell resigned March 18 as the party’s chief executive as a bitter contest to replace Sturgeon was unfolding against the backdrop of the police investigation and a controversy about the party’s declining membership. He held the position for more than 20 years.
In a Wednesday night update, police said the man arrested in the morning was questioned by detectives and “released without charge pending further investigation.” The police force said officers searched a number of locations as part of the probe and would send a report to Scottish prosecutors.
Sturgeon, 52, said in a statement to the BBC and British TV channel Sky News that she had “no prior knowledge of Police Scotland’s action or intentions” when Murrell was arrested. She plans to cooperate with police if required, her spokesperson said.
The SNP said it had been cooperating fully in the investigation and would continue to do so but that it was inappropriate to comment further.
Sturgeon abruptly announced her resignation in February after eight years as party leader and first minister of Scotland’s semi-autonomous government. Sturgeon said at that time that serving well was knowing when to make way for someone else.
“In my head and in my heart I know that time is now,” she said. “That it’s right for me, for my party and my country.”
Deputy Scottish Labour leader Jackie Baillie said the arrest was “deeply concerning" and called on Sturgeon and her successor, Humza Yousaf, to "urgently state what they knew and when.”
Yousaf said he had not had a role in party finances and vowed to be transparent under his leadership.
The investigation could further harm the SNP's political fortunes, which saw its poll numbers droop during the acrimonious election to replace Sturgeon.
“It certainly doesn’t do us any good," Yousaf said when asked if Murrell's arrest would hurt the party. “People will have questions, there will be some concerns. Our party membership will have concerns too."
John Curtice, a politics professor at the University of Strathclyde, said the impact of the arrest on the party and Sturgeon's legacy would depend on whether prosecutors file charges. But it's already dealt a setback to her successor, who just took office last week.
“As of today, there's no Yousaf bounce. It's the opposite — it's gone down,” Curtice said. “This doesn't make it easier for him to start off on the front foot, and he probably needs to start off on the front foot.”
Her husband's arrest “undoubtedly refueled speculation” on the reason Sturgeon unexpectedly resigned, but it's not known what she was aware of when she stepped down, Curtice said.
Yousaf said he did not believe the investigation into party finances had caused Sturgeon to resign.
“I believe her very much when she says how exhausted she was," Yousaf said. “I think anybody who watched her over the course of the pandemic during those daily briefings, day after day, I think anybody could understand how exhausting that is.”
Sturgeon had led Scotland since 2014, when Scots voted to remain part of the United Kingdom. While the referendum was billed as a once-in-a-generation decision on independence, Sturgeon and her party had pushed for a new vote, arguing that Britain’s departure from the European Union had changed the ground rules.
The Scottish government wants to hold a referendum next October with the question “Should Scotland be an independent country?”
The U.K. government in London refuses to approve a vote, saying the question was settled in a 2014 referendum that saw Scottish voters reject independence by a margin of 55% to 45%.
Murrell's resignation came just before his wife left office and as three members of Scottish Parliament fought a bruising contest to replace her.
The SNP had publicly denied a newspaper report that its membership had plunged from more than 100,000 to just over 70,000 in the past year, before admitting it was true. Murrell accepted responsibility and quit, saying that “while there was no intent to mislead, I accept that this has been the outcome.”
Police cars were parked outside the couple's Glasgow home Wednesday and a blue tent had been erected by officers in front of the house.
Officers were also stationed outside the SNP headquarters in Edinburgh and several police vans were parked near the building.
The presence of police at both locations created a bad image for the party, as well as Sturgeon and her husband, Curtice said.
“Perhaps the money given to the party for one purpose was used for another,” he said. “It’s probably not the world’s biggest crime but it’s not a good look if it gets pursued further.”