Nicola Sturgeon has defended her reported decision to give “no comment” answers to the police during her arrest.
The former Scottish first minister was taken into custody for questioning on 11 June 2023 as part of a police investigation into embezzlement in the Scottish National Party (SNP).
Ms Sturgeon was released without charge later that same day.
The Scottish Sun reported that she gave “no comment” answers to police during questioning and “sat in silence for hours” while at the station.
In a statement issued by solicitor Aamer Anwar on behalf of the former Scottish first minister, he said that the answer was standard legal advice.
He rejected claims that the move hindered the investigation into SNP finances.
He said that Ms Sturgeon’s position was “no different” to that set out on Monday around the criminal conduct of her estranged husband, former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell, who pleaded guilty to embezzling more than £400,000.
“In relation to the advice tendered to Ms Sturgeon to make no comment, this was by her solicitor, formerly a very senior crown counsel at Crown Office,” the lawyer said.
He said Ms Sturgeon said a “no comment” response was “standard advice offered on a regular basis in our jurisdiction”.
It was “deeply worrying” that Scottish Tory leader Russell Findlay described her “right to silence” as a “tactic of organised crime”, he said.
Mr Anwar said that Ms Sturgeon later insisted on providing a “detailed written response” to Police Scotland questions.
“The idea that a highly resourced inquiry was hampered by a no comment interview is nonsensical,” he said.
“Had there been any evidence whatsoever of criminality against Ms Sturgeon, there can be no doubt that this gold-plated investigation would have led to Ms Sturgeon being charged and prosecuted.
“To make it abundantly clear it was not the role of the First Minister to sign off accounts that was for the party treasurer.
“There appears to be an assumption that as FM, when Mr Murrell was busy buying multiple pens or pepper pots etc she was with him, Ms Sturgeon was not as unsurprisingly she was busy with other matters.”
