Husband of Scotland’s former leader Nicola Sturgeon arrested in financial probe

EDINBURGH – Peter Murrell, the husband of Scotland’s former first minister Nicola Sturgeon, was arrested on Wednesday as part of a police investigation into the finances of the Scottish National Party (SNP).

Murrell, 58, was the SNP’s chief executive for nearly 25 years until he quit in March.

In a statement, Police Scotland said they took a 58-year-old man into custody for questioning over the party’s “funding and finances”.

“Officers are also carrying out searches at a number of addresses as part of the investigation,” the police force said, without naming the man.

The BBC and other media said he is Murrell, who has long faced questions over the alleged disappearance of £600,000 (S$994,000) in donations to the SNP, and over a personal loan of more than £100,000 that he gave to the party.

Murrell resigned from his SNP leadership post after the party falsely denied to the media that it lost 30,000 members.

The revelation came as it held a bitter election to replace Ms Sturgeon as leader and first minister.

Ms Sturgeon said in February

that she lacked the “energy” to carry on, and that she would step down after eight years at the helm.

She was succeeded as SNP leader and first minister by Mr

Humza Yousaf.

AFP