Minister refuses to say if officers investigating SNP are known to Government

The Scottish Government has refused to confirm whether it is aware of the identity of officers involved in the investigation into SNP funding and finances.

Operation Branchform has been ongoing since 2021 and is investigating what happened to around £600,000 raised by the party for independence campaigning.

Peter Murrell, 59, was charged in April by police as part of the long-running investigation into SNP finances, but prosecutors from the Crown Office have yet to issue information over further action.

Murrell, who was chief executive of the SNP for 23 years, married former first minister Sturgeon in 2010 and has been arrested twice during the SNP finance investigation.

The couple share a home in Uddingston, South Lanarkshire, which was searched by police and forensics officers.

Sturgeon was also questioned in June 2023 but was not charged.

A Freedom of Information published in November confirmed that 11 police officers are currently allocated to the investigation.

Shadow finance secretary Craig Hoy asked justice secretary Angela Constance on Wednesday whether the Scottish Government has been made aware of the officer’s identities and when.

Constance refused to answer, stating that the matter was subject to an “ongoing police investigation”.

Hoy added: “The public continues to scratch its head in disbelief at the 1,273 days spent so far on Operation Branchform.

“While the Crown Office decides whether to prosecute Peter Murrell and the police decide whether to charge Nicola Sturgeon, the public continues to scratch its head in disbelief at the 1,273 days spent so far on Operation Branchform.

“We now know that 11 officers are engaged in the ongoing investigation separately an FAI request asked the Scottish Government if and when they found out the identities of the investigating officers and how they came to be made aware of those details.

“The request also asked what procedures are in place to ensure these meetings did not occur by accident.

“In response, the government said giving answers would ‘substantially prejudice the investigation’ which strongly suggests that the government may well be aware of those facts.

“Can the minister explain why revealing the specific date would risk prejudicing the probe and if the government has nothing to hide, why would it not confirm how it may have secured the identities of the investigating officers if it is indeed in receipt of them?”

Constance said she “would not comment and was not involved in live cases”

In December, Nicola Sturgeon said she knows “nothing more” about the police investigation into SNP finances than she did when arrested.

Asked if she had heard anything further regarding the investigation, the former first minister told the PA news agency: “I have nothing to add. Nothing to offer you on that.

“I know nothing more than I did back then and I can’t comment on it anyway.

“I am just getting on with my life as best I can at the moment.”