Nicola Sturgeon urged to publish police statement amid SNP embezzlement probe

Former Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon has been pressed to make public the written statement she gave to Police Scotland after a 2023 "no comment" interview during the Operation Branchform investigation. The appeal comes from Scottish Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie and other politicians who say the document would provide transparency after the conviction of Sturgeon's estranged husband, Peter Murrell, who was sentenced to five years for embezzling more than £400,000 from the SNP.

Police Scotland presented the written submission to the Crown Office, but prosecutors in 2025 decided no further action would be taken against Sturgeon. She maintains she fully cooperated, describes the repeated requests as "disgraceful and beyond outrageous", and has declined to publish the statement, citing legal advice. The controversy centres on whether her cooperation was sufficient and whether releasing the statement would clarify her role in the scandal that has rocked the SNP.