Explained: The party finance probe in which Scotland ex-first minister’s husband has been arrested

In a shocking twist, the husband of Scotland’s former first minister was arrested on Wednesday. Peter Murrell, the husband of Nicola Sturgeon, was arrested as part of a police investigation into the finances of the Scottish National Party (SNP). In a statement, Police Scotland said they had taken a 58-year-old man into custody for questioning over the party’s “funding and finances”. “Officers are also carrying out searches at a number of addresses as part of the investigation,” the police force said, without naming the man. But what is the investigation about? Let’s take a closer look: Murrell, 58, was the SNP’s chief executive for the past 25 years. According to the BBC, the police probe began a year and a half ago after enquiries were made about how funds amounting to £600,000 raised between 2017 and 2020 ostensibly for an independence campaign were spent. Sturgeon in March 2017 announced plans for a Scottish referendum even as Murrell launched a money-raising website, as per The Herald.

By June 2019, the SNP had raised £482,000.

But in the meantime, it had lost nearly two dozen MPs in a snap general election. Though the plans were put on hold, the party vowed the money was “earmarked for the specific purpose of a referendum campaign”. The party’s accounts published by the Electoral Commission, the independent watchdog, showed that at the end of 2018 the party had around £411,000 pounds in cash or cash equivalents. But then it was revealed that the party’s accounts had just £97,000 at the end of 2019, as per BBC. Then it emerged that Murrell had loaned the party £100,000 to help with ‘cash flow’ issues – money it repaid by October. BBC quoted an SNP spokesman as saying that the loan was a “personal contribution made by the chief executive to assist with cash flow after the Holyrood election”. Meanwhile, the party treasurer Douglas Chapman, claiming he did not have the ‘financial information’ needed for his job, resigned. As per The Herald, it was activist Sean Clarke who raised the red flag – leading to Operation Branchform being launched in July 2021. Murell quit as SNP’s chief executive last month after the party falsely denied to media that it had lost 30,000 members. The revelation came as it held a bitter election to replace Sturgeon as leader and first minister. Politico quoted an SNP spokesperson as saying: “Clearly it would not be appropriate to comment on any live police investigation but the SNP have been co-operating fully with this investigation and will continue to do so. “At its meeting on Saturday, the governing body of the SNP, the NEC, agreed to a review of governance and transparency – that will be taken forward in the coming weeks.” [caption id=“attachment_12390042” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Humza Yousaf takes the oath as he is sworn in as First Minister of Scotland at the Court of Session, in Edinburgh, Wednesday 29 March, 2023. Image courtesy: Jane Barlow/PA via AP[/caption] Sturgeon said in February that she lacked the “energy” to carry on and that she would step down after eight years at the helm. She was succeeded as SNP leader and first minister by Humza Yousaf.

Yousaf said it was a ‘difficult day’ for the party, as per Politico.

Scottish Daily Express quoted Scottish Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie as saying: “This is a deeply concerning development and the Police Scotland investigation must be allowed to proceed without interference. “For too long, a culture of secrecy and cover-up has been allowed to fester at the heart of the SNP. We need Humza Yousaf and Nicola Sturgeon to urgently state what they knew and when." In a referendum in 2014, Scots rejected ending the more-than 300-year-old union with England by 55% to 45%. Britain’s vote to leave the European Union two years later when a majority of Scots wanted to stay, and Scotland’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic brought new support for independence. However, the Conservative government in Westminster refuses to permit a new referendum. Polls show support for the SNP and Scottish independence has dropped since Sturgeon’s departure. Police Scotland said a report would be sent to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, Scotland’s prosecutors. With inputs from agencies Read all the  Latest News,  Trending News,  Cricket News,  Bollywood News,  India News and  Entertainment News here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.