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Ex-Scottish Leader Nicola Sturgeon Arrested By Police Investigating Governing Party's Finances

Nicola Sturgeon, a former Scottish First Minister who dominated Scottish politics for years, was arrested in a police investigation of the party's finances.

Nicola Sturgeon
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Former Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, who dominated politics in Scotland for years, was arrested Sunday by police investigating the finances of the governing, pro-independence Scottish National Party.
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Police Scotland said a 52-year-old woman was detained “as a suspect in connection with the ongoing investigation into the funding and finances of the Scottish National Party.”
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“The woman is in custody and is being questioned by Police Scotland detectives,” the force said.
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UK police do not name suspects until they are charged. The BBC and other media outlets identified the arrested woman as Sturgeon. The party did not immediately comment.
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Scottish police have been investigating how 600,000 pounds (USD 745,000) designated for a Scottish independence campaign was spent.
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Party treasurer Colin Beattie and former chief executive Peter Murrell were arrested previously and questioned as part of the investigation. Neither has been charged.
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Murrell is Sturgeon's husband, and police searched the couple's home in Glasgow after his arrest in April.?
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Sturgeon unexpectedly resigned in February after eight years as Scottish National Party leader and first minister of Scotland's semi-autonomous government. She said that it was the right time for her, her party, and her country to make way for someone else.
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Sturgeon left office amid divisions in the SNP and with her main goal — independence from the UK for the nation of 5.5 million people — unmet.
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Scottish voters backed remaining in the UK in a 2014 referendum that was billed as a once-in-a-generation decision.?
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The party wants a new vote, but the UK Supreme Court has ruled that Scotland can't hold one without London's consent. The central government has refused to authorize another referendum.?
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Sturgeon's departure unleashed a tussle for the future of the SNP amid recriminations over the party's declining membership and divisions about the best path toward independence.