Nicola Sturgeon has defended her reported decision to give “no comment” answers to the police during her arrest, with her solicitor describing it as standard legal advice.
In a statement issued by solicitor Aamer Anwar on behalf of the former Scottish first minister, he rejected claims that the move hindered the investigation into SNP finances. He said her position was “no different” to that set out on Monday regarding the criminal conduct of her estranged husband, former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell, who admitted to embezzling more than £400,000.
Legal Advice and Right to Silence
“In relation to the advice tendered to Ms Sturgeon to make no comment, this was by her solicitor, formerly a very senior crown counsel at Crown Office,” the lawyer said. He added that a “no comment” response was “standard advice offered on a regular basis in our jurisdiction” and that it was “deeply worrying” that Scottish Tory leader Russell Findlay described her “right to silence” as a “tactic of organised crime”.
Mr Anwar said Ms Sturgeon later insisted on providing a “detailed written response” to Police Scotland questions. “The idea that a highly resourced inquiry was hampered by a no comment interview is nonsensical,” he stated. “Had there been any evidence whatsoever of criminality against Ms Sturgeon, there can be no doubt that this gold-plated investigation would have led to Ms Sturgeon being charged and prosecuted.”
Role of First Minister
He further clarified: “To make it abundantly clear, it was not the role of the First Minister to sign off accounts; that was for the party treasurer. There appears to be an assumption that as FM, when Mr Murrell was busy buying multiple pens or pepper pots etc she was with him. Ms Sturgeon was not, as unsurprisingly she was busy with other matters.”
