Nicola Sturgeon not facing charges in SNP police probe

Former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon is no longer a suspect in the Police Scotland investigation into SNP finances.

The announcement came as her husband, ex-SNP chief executive Peter Murrell, appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court charged with embezzlement.

He made no plea during a private hearing and was granted bail.

Police Scotland also confirmed former SNP treasurer Colin Beattie was no longer under investigation.

Ms Sturgeon and Mr Murrell recently announced they were separated and in the process of ending their marriage.

Mr Murrell was charged in April of last year, having been arrested and released without charge the previous year.

He is understood to have resigned his SNP membership.

Mr Beattie, the SNP MSP for Midlothian North and Musselburgh, was arrested and released without charge in April 2023.

Two months later Ms Sturgeon was also arrested and released without charge.

Police Scotland confirmed that inquiries into both Ms Sturgeon and Mr Beattie had “concluded”.

The force said the pair had “not been charged and are no longer under investigation”.

Ms Sturgeon unexpectedly announced her resignation as first minister and SNP leader in February 2023 after eight years in office.

She denied her decision was influenced by the police investigation.

Mr Murrell resigned as SNP chief executive a month later having taken responsibility for misleading the media about party membership numbers.

In April 2023, the home he shared with Ms Sturgeon was searched by police officers looking into what happened to £660,000 of donations given to the SNP by independence activists.

Police also searched the SNP’s headquarters in Edinburgh and confiscated a luxury motorhome parked in the driveway of Mr Murrell’s mother in Fife.

The investigation, called Operation Branchform, has lasted more than two years.

In September last year it emerged that officers had sent prosecutors details of what they had uncovered in an “advice and guidance report” and were seeking formal advice on what they should do next.

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest version.

You can receive Breaking News on a smartphone or tablet via the BBC News App. You can also follow @BBCBreaking on X to get the latest alerts.