Former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell, 58, is in custody and being questioned by detectives.
Peter Murrell, the spouse of Nicola Sturgeon, has been detained in an investigation into the funding and finances of the Scottish National Party. (SNP).
The former SNP leader is currently detained and being questioned by detectives.
Police Scotland announced the arrest of a 58-year-old male as part of an ongoing investigation.
The force added that officers are also conducting inquiries at several addresses.
Outside the couple’s residence in Glasgow, a blue evidence tent has been erected. And officers have also been spotted at the SNP’s headquarters in Edinburgh.
Police Scotland is investigating the expenditure of approximately £600,000 designated for the Scottish independence campaign.
In a statement, the SNP said, “Clearly, it would be inappropriate to comment on any ongoing police investigation. But the SNP has been entirely cooperating with this investigation and will continue to do so.
“At its Saturday meeting, the SNP’s governing body, the NEC, approved a review of governance and transparency that will be carried out in the coming weeks.”
“COPFS will continue to collaborate with law enforcement on this ongoing investigation,” a spokesperson said.
It is standard procedure for prosecutors to handle cases involving politicians without the involvement of law enforcement.
It comes less than a week after Humza Yousaf was sworn in as Scotland’s sixth first minister, replacing Nicola Sturgeon following her shocking resignation in February.
Political opponents of the SNP have demanded complete transparency from Mr. Yousaf and Ms. Sturgeon.
Jackie Baillie, the deputy leader of the Scottish Labour Party, stated, “This is a deeply concerning development, and the Police Scotland investigation must proceed unimpeded.”
She added, “Nicola Sturgeon and Humza Yousaf must immediately disclose what they knew and when they knew it.”
Mr. Yousaf stated that the SNP was experiencing a “difficult day” following the detention of Mr. Murrell.
He stated, “My reaction, as you might expect, is that this is a challenging day for the SNP.
“However, I’d like to reiterate and emphasize how crucial it is for me not to comment on an ongoing police investigation and in any way prejudice it.”
He added, “I believe there will be a public concern, but there is an active police investigation underway. And we will wait to see what the outcome of that investigation is.”
He said, “I believe her when she says she was exhausted.”
Sky’s political editor Beth Rigby asked Ms. Sturgeon last month if the ongoing investigation into SNP finances – and the resulting pressure on her and her spouse – had played a role in her resignation.
“No, it has not occurred. “No,” the former first minister of Scotland and current leader of the SNP stated.
Mr. Murrell, who wed Ms. Sturgeon in 2010, resigned as SNP chief executive during the most recent leadership campaign after more than two decades in the position.
He stated at the time that his future had become a “distraction” from the competition to replace his wife as SNP leader and first minister in the wake of a devastating dispute over party membership figures.
Alex Salmond, leader of the pro-independence Alba party, expressed “deep sadness” over the current state of his former party.
“The investigation is very active, so I cannot comment on specifics,” said Scotland’s former first minister of Mr. Murrell’s detention.
I’m saddened by the SNP’s present state and what it has become.
Alba and I are saying that independence has never been stronger.
