Scotland

Scotland: Misuse of party funds
If Nicola Sturgeon's resignation as Scottish First Minister in February came as a surprise, the news today of her husband Peter Murrell's detention seems to add a piece of the puzzle: Sturgeon had perhaps understood that what could become a scandal loomed on the horizon and decided to leave politics before being forced to do so? Images of the couple's home in Glasgow and the Scottish National Party (SNP) headquarters in Edinburgh surrounded by police cordons and agents have been circulating in newspapers and TV since this morning. Murrell, 58, had last month left the role of managing director of the political alliance for which his wife has long campaigned. He was detained and questioned as part of an inquiry into donations of around €750,000 which were to be directed to the campaign for a second referendum on Scottish independence and which were instead used by the party in other ways.