And with one bound she was free! In a feat worthy of The Great Harry Houdini, demonstrating she has more political lives than a cat, the former First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon is no longer under police investigation — concerning alleged financial irregularities at the Scottish National Party when she was its leader and her husband Peter Murrell was its Chief Executive.
Following four years of high drama that have provoked endless speculation around Sturgeon’s sudden resignation as First Minister and the financial governance of the party, a short statement was issued by Police Scotland announcing Sturgeon would not face any charges relating to the Operation Branchform investigation launched in July 2021. Separately Peter Murrell appeared in court charged with embezzlement and made no formal plea. Sturgeon always denied any possible wrongdoing.
Police Scotland only became interested in the financial affairs of the SNP after some party members began to question the whereabouts of funds specially raised for a possible referendum campaign. After initially being reported in the party accounts for 2017 as ringfenced, by 2019 the earmarked funds were no longer shown, and cash reserves did not cover the £600,000-plus that had been raised. This led to a complaint to the police from an independence supporter — not a Tory or Labour voter, but a nationalist — wanting to know if the campaign funds still existed. Technically the funds were a matter of public record, but practically it was as clear as mud.
It will be recalled that the period was a time when Sturgeon was forever putting the SNP on a war footing, telling nationalists to an annual drumbeat that next year there would be a second referendum. Having campaign funds already raised by supporters to be ready for the sound of the starting gun was naturally seen by activists as a great advantage and something to be cherished and nurtured. We now know — thanks to a leaked video of an SNP national committee meeting — that in March 2021 Sturgeon insisted nationalists should stop talking about the finances as everything was fine and it only strengthened opponents.
The police investigation took a serious turn when Peter Murrell was arrested for interview on 5 April 2023. A blue forensic tent was erected outside the Sturgeon and Murrell home, and cartons of possible evidence were taken away for inspection. The police also carted off box-loads of files and assorted office equipment from SNP offices, with the greatest public humiliation coming with the towing away of a top-of-the-range German-built Niesmann + Bischoff motorhome from the front drive of Mr Murrell’s mother’s home in Fife.
Party treasurer Colin Beattie MSP was also arrested and interviewed on 18 April. On 11 June 2023 it was Nicola Sturgeon’s turn for arrest and interview, all three without charge. Eventually, nearly a year later on 18 April 2024, Peter Murrell was charged with embezzlement, but Sturgeon and Beattie remained under investigation, both denying any wrongdoing. Now the police say they are no longer subjects of investigation, but without any clarification or detail.
All these very public scenes led to a great deal of political ribbing and open ridicule of Sturgeon, who, up until that point, had seemingly been blessed with a scratch-resistant Teflon coating.
In the past, Sturgeon was beyond political satire or even the subject of a gentle slagging by Scottish broadcasters and most of the media. Scottish comedians would not dare to poke fun at her when First Minister, leaving it to braver sassenach souls like Tracy Ullman. No such restraint had been shown for Tory or Labour leaders in the past, but Saint Nicola had been out of bounds in Scotland.
After Branchform began some of the protective gloves started to come off — but not all of them because, let us not forget, Sturgeon is a divisive figure. Even the comics couldn’t decide if it was open season on her or not.
Nicola Sturgeon cannot now escape continuing public speculation
Suddenly, after the tent and motorhome, there was much sniggering and innuendo and entertaining memes, but because Branchform had not reached any conclusion Sturgeon appeared marooned, floating around as a backbencher in a state of pursed-lip torpor, unable to do anything in Holyrood and losing relevancy by the day. Could anything be worse for Nicola Sturgeon than not being in the public eye?
Once Peter Murrell was charged with embezzlement the talk of the steamie was how, if anything illegal were to be proven, could it be Nicola Sturgeon knew nothing when it would have involved her husband as the CEO of the party she led? Then there was the fact she had signed-off a set of party accounts as acting Treasurer in May 2021, following the resignation of the previous officeholder.
But now everything is okay. The criminal investigation of Nicola Sturgeon has been completed, and she is no longer the subject of police inquiries. She can go about her business reinventing herself, launching her memoirs entitled Frankly — talking with all the authenticity of lab grown chicken about events of the day. Maybe she can take fiction seriously and edit a literary supplement, or become a lifestyle influencer to narcissists with particular cravings — a sort of tartan Megan Markle.
But when Alex Salmond was acquitted of all charges of sexual assault by a jury of his peers, Nicola Sturgeon stated rather pointedly that whilst the high bar of evidence to prosecute him of criminality had not been met, it did not mean the events did not happen. In Sturgeon’s framing, there should be no escape for Alex Salmond’s reputation.
Fortunately for Alex Salmond he could point to the fact he had gone through a trial and that the jury accepted his innocence. This is not an option for Nicola Sturgeon.
Nicola Sturgeon is innocent of any supposed crimes that people were prepared to believe because, like all accused in British justice, she is innocent until proven guilty.
Whether there is no case to answer or insufficient evidence — we simply do not know, because we have not been told why there are no charges.
But if we apply the same rule Sturgeon applied to Alex Salmond, Nicola Sturgeon is trapped in political and judicial purgatory, condemned forever by the whispers that the truth will never be known. For supporters of the late Alex Salmond, there is a karma-like irony that she cannot now escape continuing public speculation. Maybe a trial where she could prove her innocence would have been a better outcome?
