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LONDON — Peter Murrell, the former chief executive of the Scottish National Party and husband of former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, has been arrested in connection with an investigation into the party’s finances.
In a statement released Wednesday, Police Scotland said a “58-year-old man has today, Wednesday, 5 April 2023, been arrested as a suspect in connection with the ongoing investigation into the funding and finances of the Scottish National Party.”
It added: “The man is in custody and is being questioned by Police Scotland detectives.”
Multiple Scottish media outlets, including the BBC, confirmed the man was Murrell, who ran the internal machinery of SNP for almost 24 years until he quit during the recent SNP leadership contest.
Police officers have been investigating the SNP’s finances for several months.
Sturgeon shocked Scotland when she announced her departure as First Minister in February. Several police officers were seen outside the couple’s Ayrshire home this morning.
An SNP spokesperson said: “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.”
This developing story is being updated.
