NICOLA Sturgeon returned to political business tonight but refused to answer questions as she joined an SNP colleague on the campaign trail.
The former First Minister joined SNP activists in Glasgow‘s Govanhill for a planned canvassing session as votes were being cast for the Southside Central council seat, which falls within Ms Sturgeon’s constituency.
Nicola Sturgeon arrived at the Larkfield centre, to help with canvasing[/caption]
She was later included in a selfie with candidate Mhairi Hunter[/caption]
She refused to answer questions about the court date of Peter Murrell[/caption]
Ms Sturgeon refused to answer questions about the date of Peter Murrell’s court appearance[/caption]
Tonight Ms Sturgeon left the campaign hub with former Glasgow City Councillor Mhairi Hunter, who was standing in the battleground ward, but declined to answer a question from a Scottish Sun reporter.
When asked if she had been given advance notice about Peter Murrell’s court appearance on Thursday—despite it not appearing on the public court rolls—she entered her vehicle without responding.
As she exited the Larkfield Centre and approached her car, the reporter pressed her further, asking: “Peter wasn’t on the court roll today; did you know he was appearing in court today?
“The public didn’t know about it.
“Did you get the heads-up? It is an OK question to ask—the public didn’t know about it.
“It wasn’t in the court rolls, so how did you know your book was going to come out the night before?”
Ms Sturgeon repeatedly declined to respond and proceeded with preparations to campaign in the ward she represents as an MSP.
Later, Ms Hunter shared a selfie from the campaign trail on the X platform, featuring a smiling Nicola Sturgeon alongside other SNP activists. The caption read:
“Last shift of the day heading out in the Gorbals. Polls open till 10pm.
“If you have forgotten to post your postal vote, you can drop it into any polling place.”
Meanwhile, Ms Sturgeon posted a message on Instagram thanking her followers for their support over the past two years.
She wrote: “Just a quick message to say thank you: to my friends, my close family (you know who you are), and the hundreds of you I’ve never met who have sent me words of support over the past two years—it has meant more than you will ever know.”
We told how Nicola Sturgeon today insisted there was never “a scrap of evidence” against her after she was cleared by cops following a two-year long probe in SNP finances.
And the former First Minister said she was “vindicated” having always maintained her innocence after officers confirmed the investigation had been dropped.
But her relief came as her estranged husband and the SNP’s ex-chief executive Peter Murrell appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court, charged with alleged embezzlement.
Ms Sturgeon was back to political business tonight[/caption]
In a statement outside her home in Uddingston this afternoon, the ex-SNP leader said: “All I can say is I have done nothing wrong and I don’t think there was ever a scrap of evidence that I had done anything wrong.
“Therefore, of course to have something like this hanging over me for two years now has been difficult and frustrating – and I don’t think I am saying anything there that people would be surprised to hear.”
The developments come almost two years after cops erected a so-called “murder tent” around the Sturgeon/Murrell home and raided the SNP’s HQ in Edinburgh.
Mr Murrell, 60, was arrested the same day, before being charged in April last year.
Ms Sturgeon, 54, alongside ex-party treasurer Colin Beattie, 73, was previously arrested and questioned by cops as part of the probe.
Both were told yesterday they were no longer suspects.
Just before 1pm, the Crown Office confirmed Mr Murrell had appeared in court earlier in the day.
The 60-year-old was charged with alleged embezzlement and entered no plea and granted bail in the private hearing in the capital, with a future appearance in court to be confirmed.
Half an hour later, Police Scotland released a statement confirming they had dropped their investigation into Ms Sturgeon.
A spokesman said: “Following direction from the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, criminal enquiries into two people arrested as part of the investigation into the funding and finances of the Scottish National Party have now concluded.
“The 73 year-old man arrested on 18 April, 2023, and the 54 year-old woman arrested on 11 June, 2023, have not been charged and are no longer under investigation.”
Colin Beattie speaking at the Scottish Parliament, Edinburgh after Police Scotland dropped the investigation into former Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon and former SNP treasurer Colin Beattie in relation to the party’s finances[/caption]
Former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon speaks to media outside her house in Glasgow after being cleared of allegations following Police Scotland Operation Branchform.[/caption]
Ms Sturgeon told reporters she had been told this morning she had been cleared.
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The ex-First Minister added she was “relieved” to no longer be subject to the probe and said the investigation had been a “cloud” hanging over her.
She added: “I was confident of reaching this point and getting to this outcome but obviously it is a relief now to have that confirmed.
“For almost two years I have had this cloud of investigation hanging over me and I think it won’t surprise anybody to hear me say that’s not been an easy experience.
“To reach this point today is obviously something I am relieved about.”
The ex-SNP leader said the investigation had taken a toll but she had emerged a “stronger person today than I was when this kicked off”.
Ms Sturgeon said: “In times like this you find resilience that you sometimes don’t know you have and you find strength that you don’t know you have.
“But that said, I wish none of it had happened. I now look forward to getting on with my life.”
The development comes just a day after the ex-SNP leader revealed her “tell-all” memoirs would be called “Frankly” and would be released on August 14 later this year – promising details of the “extraordinary events” she had lived through and saying it would be “open, honest, candid about my mistakes and my heartbreaks as well as my triumphs and achievements.”
Ms Sturgeon is also set to appear on stage at the Glasgow Comedy Festival on Saturday at the Kings Theatre with Val McDermid for their “Books and Banter” show.
Peter Murrell appeared in court and entered no plea.[/caption]
Nicola Sturgeon and her husband, SNP Chief Executive Peter Murrell separated earlier this year[/caption]
he ex-SNP leader last week confirmed she would also step down as an MSP at the 2026 election, ending a 27-year parliamentary career.
Cops launched the police probe – codenamed Operation Branchform – into Nats finances after a complaint in March 2021 about the alleged disappearance of £600,000 of crowdfunded donations to the SNP for another independence referendum.
Police launched their investigation formally in July that same year.
SNP insiders had long maintained their belief that Ms Sturgeon was innocent and was unlikely to face any action.
However the police investigation has hung over the former First Minister and her party since she shocked the Scottish political world in February 2023 by resigning from her post at the top of the Scottish Government.
Ms Sturgeon claimed her resignation had nothing to do with the police probe, but just months later officers raided her home before arresting Mr Murrell.
Nats insiders are now braced for a potential trial taking place in the weeks and months prior to the 2026 election – should Mr Murrell plead not guilty.
SNP chiefs insisted Mr Swinney was only informed of the developments in Operation Branchform after Holyrood’s weekly First Minister’s Questions session.
And some figures claimed they only found out about Ms Sturgeon’s innocence through journalists telling them.
The Crown Office rejected it had taken too long to consider the evidence provided by cops to prosecutors.
A statement said: “The request was handled as part of a large-scale wider inquiry and without delay on the part of the prosecution service who recognise its significance.
“Where allegations are made against people or institutions in which the public have placed trust, it is the responsibility of the authorities to conduct a thorough investigation to determine if there is evidence that criminal conduct has occurred.
“We understand public curiosity about this investigation. However, the Crown does not publicly share details of confidential inquiries where there are no proceedings in court.
“This protects the rights of the individuals concerned who are entitled to a presumption of innocence.”
Murrell did not appear on the public court records this morning[/caption]
