‘Whole of SNP would like to see end of Operation
THE First Minister has said he would welcome an end to the police inquiry into the SNP’s funding and finances, as the anniversary of the arrest of the party’s former chief executive approaches.
Friday marks a year since the arrest of Peter Murrell – husband of former first minister Nicola Sturgeon – as part of Operation Branchform, Police Scotland’s investigation into how £600,000 of crowdfunding for campaigning for Scottish independence was spent.
The inquiry was launched in July 2021 but took a dramatic turn on April 5, 2023 when Murrell was arrested at the home he shares with Sturgeon outside Glasgow.
Police officers searched the house and erected a blue forensic tent outside the property, with searches also carried out at SNP’s Edinburgh HQ. Several criticised the scale of the police response, including those who do not support SNP.
Murrell was questioned for several hours before being released without charge pending further investigation.
The following month, the party’s then treasurer, Colin Beattie, was arrested then released on the same basis, and stood down from his post.
On June 11, Sturgeon was arrested in relation to the inquiry, voluntarily attending an interview before being released later the same day, pending further investigation.
She then posted on social media that she knew “beyond doubt that I am in fact innocent of any wrongdoing”.
Murrell’s arrest came less than a week after Humza Yousaf replaced Sturgeon as First Minister and in the following days it emerged that a luxury camper van, thought to be worth about £110,000, had been me, of course, I want Scotland to be an independent country. I want Scotland to have its own foreign policy.
“I would like us, as a small country, to play a leadership role in peace in the way that other countries like Norway have, for example, with the Oslo accords. That’s just one example of, you know, a small country in Europe that plays an important role when it comes to peace.”
The Oslo Accords, signed in 1993 and 1995, saw the start of a peace process after secret negotiations between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organisation in the Norwegian capital. Both Hamas and right-wing Israeli extremists opposed the peace process.
Yousaf’s comments come as the UK Government is facing extreme pressure to cease sending arms to Israel.
On Wednesday, more than 600 legal seized by police investigating the party’s finances.
Asked this week if he is frustrated over the length of time being taken by the inquiry, Yousaf told BBC Scotland: “Well, I think people will realise that all of us in the SNP would like to see a conclusion to Operation Branchform.
“I think that’s stating the obvious but, of course, it’s up to Police Scotland to determine how long that takes and for them to have the space and time to investigate thoroughly, and I don’t intend to interfere in that.
“It’s for Police Scotland to take as