Nicola Sturgeon has been questioned by the Scottish police as a suspect in SNP financial dealings. Credit: Robert Perry/PA
The arrest of former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon by the Scottish police investigating SNP financing and finances was a sensational event that shocked the Scottish political establishment.
This follows a two-year investigation by senior police detectives in Scotland, assisted by officers from the National Crime Agency, into what has come to be known as the “missing £600,000”.
The money was crowdfunded by the leadership of the SNP when she was party leader and First Minister of Scotland to pay for the independence referendum campaign. But the vote didn't take place and the money was gone.
On Sunday, detectives were questioning Sturgeon in custody more than two months after her husband, Peter Murrell, was also arrested as a suspect.
Until Sunday, on one occasion when asked about the police investigation, Sturgeon stated that she had not been questioned by the police. Police Scotland have never commented on the allegation.
Merrell was a long-time chief executive of the SNP until his resignation in March. His arrest came on April 5, when police squads conducted a thorough search of the couple's home near Glasgow.
The intensity of their search, which included a forensic tent and a large police van parked outside her driveway, led to complaints from senior SNP officials and politicians that the police actions were a “grotesque circus”.
Police conducted an extensive search of Ms Sturgeon's home earlier this year. Photo: Andy Buchanan/AFP via Getty Images
In an angry response to such criticism, Chief Constable of Police Scotland Sir Ian Livingston issued a stern non-intervention to the SNP, insisting that its officers continue their investigation without being distracted by political pressure from either side.
However, beyond the search of the address Sturgeon was quickly followed by the police, who confiscated a £120,000 mobile home parked in the driveway of Sturgeon's mother-in-law's Fife home.
In addition, since her husband was arrested and later released pending further investigation, SNP treasurer Colin Beatty was also arrested and released.
The two, along with Sturgeon, the three signed the party's annual report. And the fact that they were arrested, and Sturgeon was not, raised eyebrows throughout the Scottish legal and political establishment.
Almost exactly two years earlier, Douglas Chapman MP, former party treasurer, resigned , complaining that he was not allowed to see all the relevant documents about the loss of funds.
Subsequently, a Scottish newspaper received a tape recording which showed that at a meeting of the ruling national executive of the party, Ms Sturgeon assured senior colleagues that all was in order with her party's accounts.
However, shortly after this meeting, the police in Scotland announced , which is investigating “the missing £600,000”.
This statement was followed by reports that investigators have sought advice and guidance from the National Crime Agency, which usually handles complex investigations.
Nicola Sturgeon resigned as First Minister on February 15. She has been party leader and head of the Scottish Government since taking over from Alex Salmond after the SNP's defeat in the 2014 independence referendum.
After announcing her departure, she said her tenure had been too long and that she has lost her right to privacy.
However, it came as no surprise to some that her husband resigned as the party's chief executive a month after reports of false claims about the number of members of the SNP.
Three days later, her husband was arrested on April 5, Sturgeon gave an emotional interviews with reporters.
Standing outside her home, she said she understands the mindfulness, but said “the last days have been difficult” but that there would be full cooperation with the police investigation. She added that her husband's arrest was “traumatic” and her “worst nightmare.” £000 has gone beyond all the trouble in Scotland since the start of the year. The country was agitated by rumors and speculation, which initially culminated in the arrest of her husband and the search of her house.
Her successor, Humza Yusuf, tried to keep political life in balance. In this he failed, as everyone believed that the only important issue was what happened to the huge amount of money that the members of the party had donated.
At an impromptu press conference on the stairs in the Scottish Parliament building, she told reporters: “I understand some people's opinion that I knew that everything was about to unfold, and so I walked away. Nothing could be further from the truth.
“In my worst nightmares, I couldn't have foreseen what would happen over the past few weeks.”
After Sunday's events, this seems almost a prophetic statement .
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