The arrest of Scotland’s former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon Sunday is the latest development in the ongoing police investigation into the financial dealings of the Scottish National Party. File photo by Robert Perry/EPA

Following her release, Sturgeon tweeted a statement declaring her innocence.

“Obviously, given the nature of this process, I cannot go into detail,” she said. “However, I do with to say this, and to do so in the strongest possible terms. Innocence is not just a presumption I am entitled to it in law. I know beyond doubt that I am in fact innocent of any wrongdoing.”

Police have been investigating the financial dealings of the nation’s governing party since 2021. The investigation, called Operation Branchform, follows complaints about the party’s use of an estimated $750,000 in campaign donations, The New York Times reported.

Sturgeon’s arrest comes two months after the arrest of her husband and the party’s chief executive Peter Murrell. He was arrested at the couple’s home in Glasgow in April and questioned before being released without charges. The home was also raided and a tent was raised at its front door.

National Party members were critical of the optics of the raid. Murray Foote, the party’s former head of communications, called the use of tents a “grotesque circus” that would damage the reputation of the police, The Guardian reported.

Chief Constable Sir Iain Livingston defended the decision to raid the home, calling it “proportionate and necessary.”

“Operation Branchform has integrity, it is expected to have rigor,” he said. “If the operation had not been pursued, I would rightly have been accused of neglect of duty.”

Later that month, party treasurer Colin Beattie was arrested and released without charges.

The Scottish National Party has platformed on the independence of Scotland. Funding raised was to be used to pursue another vote for independence. Police are investigating whether that money was used for other purposes.

Ian Murray, a member of the Labour Party, called the arrest of Sturgeon a “deeply concerning development,” according to the BBC.

“The Police Scotland investigation must be allowed to proceed without interference,” he said. “For too long, a culture of secrecy and cover-up has been allowed to fester at the heart of the SNP.”

Sturgeon resigned from the role of first minister in March. Fellow National Party member Humza Yousaf succeeded her. She has remained a member of parliament, despite calls from opposing party members for her to be suspended.