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Nicola Sturgeon’s written statement to the police regarding the investigation into the SNP’s finances will not be made public, according to her legal representative. Aamer Anwar, who is acting on behalf of the former first minister, confirmed that neither the written document nor the interview Sturgeon gave to police will be released. This follows Sturgeon’s decision to provide a “no comment” interview at the time of her arrest in 2023, after which she submitted a written statement to the officers involved.
The inquiry, known as Operation Branchform, culminated in the conviction of Peter Murrell, Sturgeon’s former husband, for embezzling over £400,000 during his tenure as chief executive of the SNP. Murrell received a prison sentence of five years and three months in June. Sturgeon has consistently denied any wrongdoing, asserting that she was “deceived, misled and betrayed” by Murrell.
In a statement shared with the Press Association, Anwar emphasized, “Ms Sturgeon’s detailed statement produced for Police Scotland was to assist them with their inquiries; not for those who think they could now do a better job than the robust ‘gold-plated’ financial crime investigation.” He also pointed out that Sturgeon “is innocent, as evidenced by the fact that she was not charged, prosecuted nor convicted of any crime” and added that having been cleared by the official process, she is not obliged to “prove her innocence in the court of media opinion.” The statement concluded by reiterating that neither her police interview transcript nor her written statement would be disclosed.
Peter Murrell was initially arrested and questioned on 5 April 2023, with Sturgeon detained two months afterward in connection with the same investigation. She voluntarily attended a police interview, was taken into custody, questioned by detectives, and subsequently released without charge after seven hours. Prior to her arrest, Sturgeon pledged to “fully co-operate with the police” if they requested her participation. Despite ongoing speculation, she has maintained her innocence and was informed last year that she was no longer a subject of police inquiry.
The decision to withhold Sturgeon’s police records has drawn criticism from political figures. Scottish Labour’s deputy leader Jackie Baillie remarked, “It was barely a month ago that Nicola Sturgeon said on national TV there was nothing in her statement that she would not want to be published. Yet now her lawyer has insisted that neither her written statement or her police interview will be released. The question is – why not? If Nicola Sturgeon has nothing to hide, then why is she so opposed to her statement being published?” Similarly, Scottish Conservative deputy leader Rachael Hamilton MSP said, “This blows apart any pretence that Nicola Sturgeon is prepared to be transparent about this SNP scandal. There is nothing stopping her from releasing the statement she gave to the police, yet she has decided she prefers hiding behind statements from her lawyer.
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