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Scottish National Party (SNP) leader Nicola Sturgeon has said she has “no control” over the Operation Branchform investigation into the SNP’s finances. Sturgeon was questioned by police officers in June 2020 and subsequently released without charge. The probe has spent over two years investigating £660,000 of donations given to the SNP by independence activists.
Sturgeon, who resigned as first minister in March 2023 after eight years in the role, stated during her interview with BBC Scotland News that she knew “nothing more” about Operation Branchform. The former first minister also revealed that she missed “aspects of the job” itself, but did not miss the position itself, adding, “most days I’ll have a moment of relief at some point that I’m not still in Bute House”. She also said she was focusing on constituency work.
Sturgeon has maintained her innocence and claimed she had never done anything wrong. The former SNP chief executive and Sturgeon’s husband, Peter Murrell, was charged with embezzling party funds in April 2022. To date, the authorities have sent prosecutors details of what they found during their investigation and are currently seeking formal advice on next steps from Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS).
COPFS has categorically stated that its prosecutors operate “independently of political influence.” Police Scotland officials have also stated that they were awaiting direction from COPFS before taking any further action in the case. Branchform has been one of the most challenging investigations for the Crown to navigate, especially since the prosecution of Alex Salmond. The decision of what to do with the investigation has the potential to become a highly politically sensitive issue in Scotland.
The SNP issued a statement saying they would fully cooperate with the authorities investigating Branchform and reiterated that they had not done anything wrong. With the investigation running for over three years, and dealing with complex allegations of financial crime, decision-making regarding prosecutions will take as long as it takes, whatever the political sensitivities
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