He Scottish National Party (SNP) submerged whirlwind of corruption due to the funding of the referendum, which sought to achieve Scotland’s independence from Great Britain.

Just a week after Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon abruptly resigned from office, Peter Murrell, her husband and chief executive of the SNP, was detained by police for 11 hours in April, to manage the collected donations to campaign for a second independence vote.

He was later released, pending further investigation. Tuesday is the Treasurer’s turn.

treasurer was arrested

SNP Treasurer, Colin Beatty, has been arrested as part of a police investigation into party finances. He is an MP, “he is in custody and is being questioned by detectives,” Police Scotland said in the morning.

“Today, Tuesday 18 April 2023, a 71 year old man has been arrested on suspicion of connection with the ongoing investigation into the funding and finances of the Scottish National Party. The man was detained and is being questioned by Police Scotland detectives,” police said.

An SNP spokesman said: “We have no comment on the ongoing police investigation.”

Referendum fund

Beattie was party treasurer for most of Peter Murrell, husband of Nicola Sturgeon’s, tenure as chief executive. He served from 2004 to December 2020, until members elected Douglas Chapman, an MP who had promised to increase transparency.

Beattie was reinstated in the role months later, in June 2021, after Chapman stepped down citing that he had not been provided with the information he needed to carry out his duties.

Beattie had previously tried to explain where did the £600,000 go (about 750 thousand dollars) in donations, calling for an independence referendum that never happened.

Question about “lost” cash. sparked a police investigation. As of 2021, he claims that cash remains protected and has been “woven through” the account.

Scottish Nationalist Party

The Scottish National Party (SNP), which is called in Scottish Gaelic: Pārtaidh Naiseanta na h It is a Scottish social democratic and nationalist political party.

SNPs support and campaign for Scottish independence or the separation of Great Britain and Scotland’s membership into the European Union, on a platform based on civic nationalism.

is a political party the biggest in Scotland where it has the most seats in the Scottish Parliament and 45 of Scotland’s 59 seats in the House of Commons in Westminster. The current leader of the Scottish National Party is Humza Yousafwho replaced Nicola Sturgeon, following the election for chairman on March 27, 2023.

Arrest of Sturgeon’s husband

Murrell, who has been married to Sturgeon since 2010, had been CEO since 1999. But he stepped down last month, after being blamed for misleading statement what does the party do to the number of members.

In February, Nicola Sturgeon shocked the political world when she announced her retirement as First Minister of Scotland and leader of the SNP, pushing a frantic race to replace himwhich was won by Humza Yousaf last week.

In line with UK regulations, the Police Scotland statement did not identify Nicola Sturgeon’s husband by name, referring only to the arrest of a 58-year-old man. But the British media identified him.

About 11 hours after the arrest, police said the man in custody had been “released without charge pending further investigation.”

He added that agents had carried out searches at various addresses as part of the investigation. Blue police and forensic tents set up at Sturgeon’s house.

They took a computer and a box of papers. They are also at the headquarters of the independence party, which dominates Scottish politics, in Edinburgh.

SNP, in serious trouble

Speaking to the BBC, new chief Yousaf said he could not comment on the police investigation. But he was notified of the arrest “this morning after the incident. Of course my reaction, as you can imagine, as with everyone involved with the SNP, was one hard day for party”.

In a statement following news of the arrests, the SNP said: “It is clearly inappropriate to comment on the ongoing police investigation. But the SNP has fully cooperated with this investigation and will continue to do so.” Sturgeon has not been accused of wrongdoing.

Nicola Sturgeon was a popular figure and an effective communicator as First Minister of Scotland. His departure dealt a heavy blow to the SNP. He was an outspoken supporter of Scottish independence. His decision to step aside created opportunities for the SNP’s political opponents, especially the Labor Party.

Murrell’s arrest was another setback for the SNP, as Yousaf was finishing up his new job as party leader.

Form of Operations Branch

A police investigation into the party’s finances, codenamed Operation Branchform, began in 2021. It was reported that the investigation followed complaints about the handling of around $750,000 in donations raised to campaign for a second round vote for Scottish independence.

Authorities are believed to be investigating whether the money was allocated to fight for another referendum diverted to a different purpose.

In the 2014 referendum, Scots voted 55 per cent to 45 per cent against independence.

At a meeting of the ruling party’s National Executive Committee over the weekend, Beattie allegedly issued dire warnings about the state of finances parties, due to increased legal fees, decreased membership and decreased donations.

He said the party was “having a hard time balancing the books.”

They called for the resignation of Nicolas Sturgeon

‘Great loyalist’ Nicola Sturgeon attacks him for ‘unforgivable secrets’ The former SNP leader has become a “radioactive political cloud” over Humza Yousaf, after footage of him trying to shut down financial controls. They ask you to resign.

In the SNP they began to oppose him for his “unforgivable” secrecy about the party’s financial crisis.

Members were furious that the former prime minister may have “misled” them, after a video leaked in a British tabloid showed him trying to close the SNP’s financial oversightat the March 2021 meeting of the national executive committee (NEC).

Some of her staunchest supporters are now questioning “what’s going on” amid growing speculation that she may step down from the Holyrood seat, following the arrest of her husband Peter Murrell, the party’s former chief executive.

Sturgeon has announced that will stay away from holyroodScottish Parliament, this week.

The scandal will force donors to abandon their donations to the SNP. They will not be willing to hand over their money to those affected by the scandal that the police are investigating.

Sturgeon’s spokesman said he had “no intention of resigning.” Facing the recent SNP leadership contest, he insisted there was no case of Sturgeon being suspended from the party or resigning from Holyrood.

He said he was not “bothered” by the leaked video and even suggested he was being criticized for Murrell’s alleged actions.

match against

But pundits said the party mood was starting to turn against him after footage showed him telling NEC the SNP’s finances “they have never been stronger”. They warned their colleagues not to say there was a “problem” with the cash.

Within weeks, Murrell loaned the party £107,620 to counter what the SNP had previously said cash flow problem and a police investigation was launched into the alleged fraud.

Finance under magnifying glass

Since July 2021, Police Scotland have been examining the handling of the SNP donations of over £600,000, collected in 2017 for the second independence referendum.

Backers complain when accounts filed with Companies House in 2020 appear to show SNPs I only have 97,000 pounds in the bank, although the referendum never took place.

Scottish leader Ian Blackford says the former prime minister should “absolutely not” be suspended during a police investigation into party funding.

Nicola Sturgeon “he didn’t do anything wrong” personally trying to shut down control of SNP finances, his close allies claim, as he struggles to save his political career.

Paris, correspondent

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