Key facts
- Nicola Sturgeon's lawyer, Aamer Anwar, confirmed her written statement to police and her interview will not be released.
- The statement was part of the investigation into the SNP's finances, known as Operation Branchform.
- Sturgeon's estranged husband, Peter Murrell, was convicted of embezzling over £400,000 from the SNP and sentenced to five years and three months in prison.
- Sturgeon maintains her innocence and was previously told she was no longer under investigation.
- Political opponents have criticized the decision not to release the statement, questioning transparency.
Nicola Sturgeon's written statement to police investigating the finances of the Scottish National Party (SNP) will not be released, according to her lawyer, Aamer Anwar. Anwar stated that neither the detailed statement provided to assist Police Scotland nor Sturgeon's police interview would be made public.
Sturgeon, the former First Minister, was arrested and questioned in June 2023 as part of Operation Branchform, an inquiry into the SNP's finances. Her estranged husband, Peter Murrell, who was the party's chief executive, was later convicted of embezzling more than £400,000 from the SNP and sentenced to five years and three months in prison in June. Sturgeon has consistently maintained her innocence, stating she was "deceived, misled and betrayed" by Murrell, and was informed last year that she was no longer under investigation.
In a previous interview with the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg in May, Sturgeon suggested she would be open to publishing her statement, saying she could "not think of anything in it that I wouldn’t want (published)", pending legal advice. However, Anwar's recent statement clarified that the decision has been made not to release the documents.
Anwar emphasized that Sturgeon's statement was intended to aid the police investigation and that, having been "exonerated through the proper process" and not charged, prosecuted, or convicted, there is "no onus on her to now prove her innocence in the court of media opinion."
Political rivals have voiced criticism of the decision. Scottish Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie questioned why Sturgeon was now opposing the publication of her statement if she had nothing to hide, contrasting it with her earlier comments. Scottish Conservative deputy leader Rachael Hamilton MSP suggested the move "blows apart any pretence that Nicola Sturgeon is prepared to be transparent" and that she was "hiding behind statements from her lawyer."