British police have arrested former Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, BBC reports . The arrest is linked to an investigation into financial fraud by the Scottish National Party (SNP), which was led by Sturgeon.
The investigation was launched in July 2021 after several complaints were received by the police alleging that contributions to the party's treasury were being spent illegally. In particular, the prosecutor's office is interested in how the £600,000 (€700,000) collected for organizing a new independence referendum, which was never held, were spent.
In April 2023, law enforcement officers detained Sturgeon's husband Peter Murrell, who had served as executive director of the SNP since 1999, but was soon released without charge. Back in March, both Sturgeon and Murrell resigned and resigned from their posts.
Nicola Sturgeon took over the Scottish government in 2014 and has been a vocal advocate for Scottish independence.