Until recently, Peter Murrell was responsible for the finances of the ruling party – and is also married to the resigned prime minister. The investigation against him is ongoing.
After his arrest on suspicion of embezzling party funds, the husband of former Scottish Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon, Peter Murrell, has been released. No charges have been filed so far, the British news agency PA reported.
However, officials are still stationed in front of the couple’s house in Glasgow, and investigators have set up a tent in the front yard. A police spokesman said the investigation was ongoing. Sturgeon’s successor, Humza Yousaf, spoke of a “difficult day” for his Scottish National Party (SNP) on Wednesday evening.
Murrell has long been in charge of the ruling party’s finances. He is suspected of misappropriated £600,000 (€685,000) earmarked for the pro-independence campaign. The 58-year-old resigned from his post as SNP’s chief executive officer last month. Police took him into custody on Wednesday.
What did Sturgeon know?
Sturgeon, who surprisingly announced her resignation as head of government and party leader in mid-February, stressed in a statement that she had no prior knowledge of her husband’s arrest. Critics accused the authorities of waiting until Sturgeon was out of office before taking the step.
The brief arrest is also likely to fuel speculation about Sturgeon’s own reasons for stepping down. Her party colleague Humza Yousaf (37) has been the new head of government in the northernmost part of Britain since the beginning of the week. After a turbulent election campaign, he wants to unite the party behind him.
The Scottish National Party works in government with the Scottish Greens and represents liberal-progressive politics. The most important goal, however, is to lead Scotland as an independent state out of the UK and back into the EU.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
