Nicola Sturgeon has been urged to make public the written statement she provided to Police Scotland after she refused to comment during an interview with detectives. The former first minister was arrested and questioned for several hours on June 11, 2023 as part of the long-running Operation Branchform investigation. She said at the time she was "co-operating fully" with the probe, but it was later revealed the ex-SNP leader had used her right to answer "no comment" to all questions put to her.
Background of the Investigation
Sturgeon was released without charge pending further investigation and was later informed in March 2025 that she would face no further action. Peter Murrell, her estranged husband, was jailed for five years this week after embezzling more than £400,000 from the SNP. The Record then revealed how Police Scotland had wanted to put more questions to Sturgeon after she agreed to provide a written statement following her "no comment" interview. The matter was later dropped after Police Scotland submitted a report of its investigations to the Crown Office on August 9, 2024. It was prosecutors who ultimately took the decision in 2025 that Sturgeon would not face any further action.
Calls for Transparency
Jackie Baillie, Scottish Labour deputy leader, has now urged Sturgeon to publish the written statement in the name of transparency. "There is no legal bar for Nicola Sturgeon publishing her written statement," the MSP said. "Despite her having promised to co-operate fully, she appears to have sat in silence for hours during her interview with police, providing no comment. Officers then asked her for a witness statement, yet she refused. This is clearly not full co-operation. So, now that Peter Murrell has been sentenced, Nicola Sturgeon faces a decision. She can choose to continue to hide behind multiple statements from her lawyer, or she can do the right thing, make good on her earlier promise, and publish her statement to provide the public with full transparency around this murky affair."
Sturgeon's Response
In a statement released by her solicitor Aamer Anwar on Wednesday, the ex-SNP leader described her anger at being asked to comment on media briefings by police and prosecutors. Anwar said: "Ms Sturgeon finds it disgraceful and beyond outrageous that she is being asked to comment on so-called ‘background’ briefings by the Police/Crown. While anonymous sources have desperately tried to insinuate guilt, it is clear following a two-year gold-plated and robust investigation, Ms Sturgeon was neither charged, prosecuted nor convicted of any offence. Ms Sturgeon is innocent of any crime and whilst that might be a source of annoyance for some, it remains a fact that it was Mr Murrell who was charged, tried, convicted and imprisoned for his crimes today. Ms Sturgeon remains angry, hurt and distressed about the devastating impact of Mr Murrell’s actions on her, his family, friends and the SNP. Ms Sturgeon was utterly deceived and let down by her husband whom she had trusted. Why he acted as he did will always be beyond her comprehension. She is utterly appalled that he did so and will never understand why."
