Why were police made to wait two weeks for SNP search warrant?
Former SNP justice minister demands inquiry into warrant granted AFTER Humza won leadership race
A FORMER SNP justice secretary has demanded a probe into why the Crown Office took a fortnight to allow a police raid on Nicola Sturgeon’s home.
A warrant to search the former First Minister’s house took two weeks to issue, meaning police had to wait until after Humza Yousaf’s election, it has been revealed.
The fraud investigation by Police Scotland into allegations surrounding the SNP’s finances asked permission to search Ms Sturgeon’s house on March 20.
But the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) did not give the green light until April 3 – after the SNP leadership contest had ended and Ms Sturgeon had been replaced.
The revelation has sparked a call for a judge-led inquiry into the Crown Office’s role in the process, which former justice secretary Kenny MacAskill yesterday suggested was due to ‘what appears to be political considerations’.
Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain, who attends Scottish Government Cabinet meetings, yesterday refused to say whether the search warrant was deliberately delayed.
The Crown Office insisted Ms Bain was not involved in the decision. A COPFS spokesman said: ‘It is standard that any case regarding politicians is dealt with by prosecutors without the involvement of the Lord Advocate or Solicitor General.’
Mr MacAskill, who is now an Alba Party MP, said: ‘These are matters of the utmost gravity and seriousness with huge implications for the functioning of our legal system and our democracy.
‘As justice secretary I was involved in changes to expedite the warrant process. Delays then were due to bureaucracy and IT systems. I never envisaged that police investigations might be delayed by what appears to be political considerations.
‘That is why I am today calling for a judge-led inquiry into the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service in order to restore trust and confidence in this vital institution.’
Police arrived at the home of Ms Sturgeon to arrest her husband, the former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell, on April 5 – two days after a warrant was granted.
Mr Murrell was taken into custody as a suspect and questioned before being released ‘pending further investigation’.
Officers then spent two days searching the couple’s house and garden as part of the investigation into SNP finances.
The party’s Edinburgh headquarters were also raided and searched, while a £110,000 motorhome parked outside the home of Mr Murrell’s 92-year-old mother was seized by police during the investigation.
Party treasurer Colin Beattie was arrested and interviewed almost two weeks later, with the Nationalist MSP also released without charge.
The force said: ‘Search warrant requests were made by Police Scotland to the COPFS on March 20, 2023. The subsequent granting of the warrants was provided by a sheriff on April 3, 2023.’
The SNP leadership contest to succeed Ms Sturgeon concluded on March 27.
Conservative MSP Russell Findlay said: ‘It is vital that any issues about timings and procedures are made clear to the public.’
He added that the lack of answers ‘only serves to fuel public concerns about the decisionmaking taking place behind closed doors’.
Last night a spokesman for the Crown Office said: ‘In all matters, Scotland’s prosecutors act independently of political pressure or interference.’
‘Matters of the utmost gravity’ ‘Decisions behind closed doors’