Sturgeon calls for “respect” for her privacy after her husband’s arrest for irregularities in the SNP

8 Apr. (EUROPE PRESS) –

The former chief minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon, has called for “respect” for the privacy of the family after the arrest on Wednesday of her husband, Peter Murrell, in the framework of an operation that investigates alleged irregularities in the Scottish National Party (SNP). ) and which has also resulted in various records.

Sturgeon has broken his silence this Saturday and has stressed that he will collaborate “fully” with the investigation. He also acknowledged that the last few days have been “obviously difficult” during a brief appearance before the press at his Glasgow home.

“The last few days have obviously been difficult, quite intense at times, but I understand that it is part of the process,” he argued. However, Sturgeon has not made any specific comment on the investigation.

Thus, he has said he understands the “scrutiny that falls on me as a public figure, but I also have the right to some privacy in my own home”, just like his neighbors, he has argued.

Sturgeon has been asked if she had been questioned by the Police. “I have not been, but I will fully collaborate with the Police as soon as they request it, if they need it,” she has riveted.

Murrell was released without charge on Wednesday afternoon itself at the expense of further investigation into £600,000 in funds allegedly earmarked for the Scottish independence campaign.

Police searched the SNP party headquarters in Edinburgh on Wednesday as well as Sturgeon and Murrell’s Glasgow home. The arrest comes just a week after Sturgeon stepped down as head of Scottish Government after more than nine years.

Murrell has also left the leadership of the SNP, which has now undertaken a renewal led by Humza Yousaf, the new leader of the party and the Executive.

The finances of the SNP have been under suspicion in recent years, mainly due to complaints filed in 2021 and related to donations. In particular, questions have been raised regarding the funds the party has received for a potential new campaign for a pro-independence referendum.

Sturgeon, who at no time attributed his resignation to these suspicions, has always defended the transparency of the accounts and the funds raised for the hypothetical consultation — about 667,000 pounds (about 761,000 euros at current exchange rates) only between 2017 and 2020– .

Murrell would also have lent money from his own pocket to the SNP – more than 107,000 pounds in June 2021 – to clean up the finances after the last elections, although the formation has affirmed that it has already returned what has officially been described as a “personal contribution”.