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Nicola Sturgeon Says 'No Comment' Answers at Arrest Was Down to Standard Legal Advice
Aamer Anwar said the advice was standard legal practice and said Sturgeon later gave police a detailed written response.
After former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell pleaded guilty Monday to embezzling more than £400,000, it emerged his estranged wife former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon gave a 'no-comment' interview to police, contradicting her public pledge to 'co-operate fully' with the investigation.
Operation Branchform, investigating £660,000 of missing SNP donations, led to Murrell's April 2023 arrest and Sturgeon's involvement as a suspect until March 2025, when prosecutors charged Murrell and cleared her of wrongdoing.
Detectives questioned Sturgeon for seven hours at Falkirk police station as she remained silent, while Murrell's indictment detailed a £124,550 motorhome, luxury goods, and more than £5,000 spent on coffee machines across his 12-year theft.
Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay characterized Sturgeon's 'no comment' conduct as resembling 'organised criminals,' and submitted an urgent question to Holyrood on Tuesday questioning why she escaped prosecution alongside her husband.
Sturgeon's solicitor Aamer Anwar argued her silence reflected standard legal advice and that she subsequently provided a detailed written response, emphasizing 'a highly resourced inquiry was not hampered by a no comment interview' as calls mount for Crown Office transparency.