Former Scottish Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon has been arrested as part of a financial investigation into her SNP party, police and British media have said. As police in Scotland announced on Sunday, a 52-year-old has been arrested “as a suspect in connection with the ongoing investigation into the funding and finances of the Scottish National Party”. British media reported that it was Sturgeon. She is in custody and is currently being questioned.
Sturgeon’s husband, Peter Murrell, was arrested in April. Murrell had long been the party’s chief executive officer and was also responsible for the SNP’s finances. He was released without charge, but “subject to further investigation”. Police have already searched the SNP headquarters and the home of Sturgeon and Murrell as part of the investigation. Authorities seized a mobile home that the SNP allegedly bought in 2021 as a campaign van.
The Scottish governing party SNP has been struggling for months with turbulence due to financial imbalances. The investigation is linked to the use of approximately £600,000 raised from supporters and earmarked for the Scottish independence campaign, Sky News reported. There would have been complaints that the earmarked funds could have been misused and spent elsewhere.
Surprisingly, after more than eight years in office, Sturgeon announced her resignation as leader of the party and government in February. In the election campaign that followed, the party presented itself as divided and sometimes chaotic. Now 37-year-old Humza Yousaf is at the helm.
The main aim of the ruling SNP is to unlink Scotland from the UK and return it to the EU as an independent country. But with London blocking another referendum, the road is bumpy. “I don’t think we can achieve independence at the moment,” SNP president Mike Russell said in an interview. It is necessary to form a new independence movement and promote the goal in a coordinated way. “It’s achievable,” Russell said. It is necessary to find a way.
Soource :Watson
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
