LONDON (Reuters) – Scotland’s former leader Nicola Sturgeon announced on Monday she and her husband Peter Murrell had decided to end their marriage, almost two years after they were both questioned as part of a police probe into the fate of party funds.
Sturgeon was Scotland’s longest-serving first minister, leading its devolved government in Edinburgh from 2014 until her shock resignation in February 2023.
In a statement released on Instagram, Sturgeon wrote: “With a heavy heart I am confirming that Peter and I have decided to end our marriage. To all intents and purposes we have been separated for some time now and feel it is time to bring others up to speed with where we are.”
The police have been investigating what happened to more than 600,000 pounds ($727,380) in funding raised by Scottish independence campaigners in 2017 which was supposed to have been ring-fenced, but may have been used for other purposes.
Last year, Murrell, who served as the pro-independence Scottish National Party’s chief executive from 1999-2023, was charged in connection with embezzlement of funds.
Murrell has not publicly commented on the matter and Sturgeon has said she is innocent.
Sturgeon, who led the SNP to several election successes, stepped down as first minister last year saying she had become too divisive to lead her country to independence. She still serves as an SNP lawmaker in the devolved parliament.
Since stepping down, her legacy has been damaged by the police investigation as well as questions over her transparency in the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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(Reporting by Andrew MacAskill, editing by Elizabeth Piper and Christina Fincher)
