Former Scottish leader Nicola Sturgeon has been cleared in a police investigation into the Scottish National Party’s finances that had tarnished the legacy of Scotland’s longest-serving first minister.
The nearly four-year old investigation has been looming over Sturgeon, arguably Scotland’s best-known politician, who led the devolved government in Edinburgh from 2014 until her shock resignation in early 2023.
Police have been investigating since 2021 what happened to more than £600,000 (US$730,000) raised by Scottish independence campaigners in 2017. It was supposed to have been ring-fenced but may have been used for other purposes.
Police Scotland said in a statement on Thursday, without naming Sturgeon, that a 54-year-old woman first arrested in June 2023 as part of the investigation had not been charged and was no longer under investigation.
Speaking outside her home near Glasgow, Sturgeon told reporters she was relieved to have been cleared.
