‘The last few days have been difficult’: Nicola Sturgeon says after man’s arrest

Nicola Sturgeon said the last few days after her husband Peter Murrell were “difficult” and “pretty dramatic”.

Speaking publicly for the first time since police ransacked the couple’s home near Glasgow, the former SNP leader said she understands the “criticism against her as a public figure” and plans to “keep living and working.” . .

Ms Sturgeon told reporters: “First of all, of course, I cannot comment on the ongoing investigation.

“As much as I would like to say something, there is nothing I can do but say that full cooperation continues as before.

“The last few days have obviously been difficult, very dramatic at times, but I understand that this is part of the process.”

Mr. Murrell was arrested as a suspect in connection with an ongoing police investigation into SNP funding and finances.

The 58-year-old, who until recently was the leader of the party, was taken into custody and questioned by police investigators in Scotland on Wednesday morning. He has since been released without charge pending further investigation.

Ms Sturgeon said she was not interrogated herself, but she would “completely cooperate with the police” if she wanted to talk to her.

It was also announced on Friday that the auditing company that controls SNP’s finances is leaving after ten years with the party. The party treasurer is now looking for another accountant to comply with the rules of the election commission.

Ms Sturgeon’s political opponents have since said there were “big questions” about what she knew about the investigation before she resigned seven weeks ago, and her successor Humza Yousaf, who two weeks ago was widely considered a candidate for Sturgeon’s succession was completely overhauled and threatened by a radical reorganization of the party infrastructure.

Ms Sturgeon declined to comment on Mr Yousaf’s opinion.

She said, “I will let Humza speak for herself. Perhaps it won’t surprise you that this week I didn’t pay too much attention to every sentence and word that other people said.

“I had other thoughts. Other people can speak for themselves, you know me well enough to know that I can speak for myself.

“Unfortunately, what I can tell you now is limited.”

Ms Sturgeon, who is still an MP for the Scottish Parliament, also called for privacy after police ransacked her home. She told reporters, “I have a right to privacy in my own home, and I think my neighbors have a right to some privacy too.

“Because they live next door to me, they have had to face more than enough harassment and inconvenience over the years.

“Of course, this has been the case in recent years.

“So if you’re all doing your job, I hope and know you’ll get some respect for it. So that’s really all I wanted to say… that’s all I can really say for now, except that I intend to continue my life and work as you would expect.”

Also on Saturday, the interim leader of the SNP admitted that independence was unlikely in the short term as police continue to investigate the party’s finances.

Party leader Mike Russell, who also served as acting CEO during Murrell’s abrupt departure, said Herald Newspaper: “In 50 years of my work in the party, this is the biggest and most difficult crisis we have ever faced, especially during the government.

“But I have a commitment to this party and to the Scottish independence movement, which has been such a big part of my life for so long.”

He continued: “I don’t believe that independence can be guaranteed at this point; we have to work on a coordinated campaign.

“But I think it can be done. My main task is to create a new “yes” movement that allows for different views, but in an atmosphere of mutual trust.”