21-04-2024, 00:53
No further news on any prosecution of Nicola Sturgeon, but Peter Murrell has now been charged with embezzlement.
From the BBC website
The husband of former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has been charged in connection with the embezzlement of funds from the Scottish National Party.
Peter Murrell, 59, was taken into custody at 09:13 on Thursday and was questioned by Police Scotland detectives.
He was previously arrested as a suspect on 5 April 2023 before being released without charge.
BBC Scotland understands Mr Murrell has resigned his SNP membership.
He was charged at 18:35 after further questioning by officers investigating the funding and finances of the party as part of Operation Branchform.
Mr Murrell has since been released from police custody at Falkirk Police Station and returned to his home near Glasgow shortly after 20:00
He resigned as the SNP's chief executive in March of last year after 22 years in the job.
An SNP spokesperson said: "While this development will come as a shock, the police investigation remains ongoing and it would, therefore, be inappropriate to make any comment."
My view is that things are not looking good for Mr Murrell, but he is still innocent until proven guilty. Humza Yousaf has said that the news came as a shock to many. I'm not sure how he arrived at this point of view, as it didn't come as a shock to me, nor all of my friends and family who I've spoken to. However I did say a year ago that I found myself having a great deal of sympathy for Mr Yousaf, who has been landed with dealing with the aftermath.
The biggest political problem will be that of Scottish Independence, as I feel that it will be very difficult to move forward on that front. I'm now absolutely certain that it won't happen in my lifetime. It could take years, perhaps decades, to repair the damage caused to the Party and therefore the Scottish Government by this affair.
As an aside, I'm not surprised that it's taken so long to reach this stage, as this country (and that's the whole UK) has a long record of not being able to do anything at a reasonable speed - the Edinburgh Trams, the Calmac Ferries, HS2, the Horizon/Post Office Inquiry, the Covid Inquiry, etc, etc.
From the BBC website
The husband of former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has been charged in connection with the embezzlement of funds from the Scottish National Party.
Peter Murrell, 59, was taken into custody at 09:13 on Thursday and was questioned by Police Scotland detectives.
He was previously arrested as a suspect on 5 April 2023 before being released without charge.
BBC Scotland understands Mr Murrell has resigned his SNP membership.
He was charged at 18:35 after further questioning by officers investigating the funding and finances of the party as part of Operation Branchform.
Mr Murrell has since been released from police custody at Falkirk Police Station and returned to his home near Glasgow shortly after 20:00
He resigned as the SNP's chief executive in March of last year after 22 years in the job.
An SNP spokesperson said: "While this development will come as a shock, the police investigation remains ongoing and it would, therefore, be inappropriate to make any comment."
My view is that things are not looking good for Mr Murrell, but he is still innocent until proven guilty. Humza Yousaf has said that the news came as a shock to many. I'm not sure how he arrived at this point of view, as it didn't come as a shock to me, nor all of my friends and family who I've spoken to. However I did say a year ago that I found myself having a great deal of sympathy for Mr Yousaf, who has been landed with dealing with the aftermath.
The biggest political problem will be that of Scottish Independence, as I feel that it will be very difficult to move forward on that front. I'm now absolutely certain that it won't happen in my lifetime. It could take years, perhaps decades, to repair the damage caused to the Party and therefore the Scottish Government by this affair.
As an aside, I'm not surprised that it's taken so long to reach this stage, as this country (and that's the whole UK) has a long record of not being able to do anything at a reasonable speed - the Edinburgh Trams, the Calmac Ferries, HS2, the Horizon/Post Office Inquiry, the Covid Inquiry, etc, etc.
Cabbage is still good for you