Former Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, who dominated politics in Scotland for years, was reportedly arrested Sunday by police investigating the finances of the governing, pro-independence Scottish National Party.
Police Scotland said a 52-year-old woman was detained “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 Police Scotland detectives,” the force said.
U.K. police do not name suspects until they are charged. The BBC and other media outlets identified the arrested woman as Sturgeon. The party did not immediately comment.
According to the BBC, a spokesperson for the former first minister said: “Nicola Sturgeon has today, Sunday 11 June, by arrangement with Police Scotland, attended an interview where she was to be arrested and questioned in relation to Operation Branchform.”
Scottish police have been investigating how 600,000 pounds ($745,000) designated for a Scottish independence campaign was spent.
Party treasurer Colin Beattie and former chief executive Peter Murrell were arrested previously and questioned as part of the investigation. Neither has been charged.
Murrell is Sturgeon’s husband, and police searched the couple’s home in Glasgow after his arrest in April.
Sturgeon unexpectedly resigned in February after eight years as Scottish National Party leader and first minister of Scotland’s semi-autonomous government. She said that it was the right time for her, her party and her country to make way for someone else.
Sturgeon left office amid divisions in the SNP and with her main goal — independence from the U.K. for the nation of 5.5 million people — unmet.
Scottish voters backed remaining in the U.K. in a 2014 referendum that was billed as a once-in-a-generation decision. The party wants a new vote, but the U.K. Supreme Court has ruled that Scotland can’t hold one without London’s consent. The central government has refused to authorize another referendum.
Sturgeon’s departure unleashed a tussle for the future of the SNP amid recriminations over the party’s declining membership and divisions about the best path towards independence.
© 2023 The Canadian Press