CNN
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Former First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon has been detained as part of the police investigation into the finances of the Scottish National Party (SNP), the most senior SNP official yet to be questioned in the investigation.
In a statement, Police Scotland said “a 52-year-old woman has been arrested today, Sunday 11 June 2023, as a suspect in connection with the ongoing investigation into the funding and finances of the Scottish National Party “.
“The woman is in custody and is being questioned by detectives from Police Scotland,” police said.
Police said they cannot comment further as the investigation is ongoing.
A spokeswoman for Sturgeon confirmed the arrest, telling PA Media that “Nicola has consistently said she would cooperate with the investigation if asked and continues to do so.”
Sturgeon’s husband and former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell was arrested and released earlier this month, followed by the group’s treasurer Colin Beattie, and officers have raided the party’s Edinburgh headquarters.
Sturgeon, 52, abruptly announced her resignation as first minister in February after a nine-year period in which she became the figurehead of the movement for Scottish independence from the United Kingdom.
He cited the demands of public life and the “brutality” of frontline politics for his surprise decision.
But since he stepped down, the party he led for nearly a decade has descended into chaos amid a widely publicized police investigation. According to PA Media, officers have been investigating the SNP’s handling of money that was earmarked for the Scottish independence campaign.
The group has dominated politics north of the border for more than a decade and pushed for a repeat of a 2014 independence referendum, in which voters rejected the possibility of breaking away from the UK among 55 % and 45%.
Sturgeon enjoyed a string of significant election victories in Scotland, which has a devolved government led by the SNP since 2007.
But the momentum of the independence drive that Sturgeon led has stalled in recent months, with polls showing falling support and the Supreme Court blocking her effort last year to unilaterally call a referendum without the support of Westminster.
Sturgeon was replaced as leader this year when Humza Yousaf narrowly won a bitter leadership election which highlighted the divisions within the party.
The chaos and legal issues surrounding the party could threaten its dominance of Scottish politics, with the pro-union Labor Party eyeing a national resurgence.
