Police had to wait two weeks from the moment they requested a search warrant for the house of the former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and her husband Peter Murrell, as well as the headquarters of the Scottish National Party (SNP) in Edinburgh.
The police made the warrant request to the Crown Office and Procurators Fiscal Service (COPFS) on March 20. The warrant was granted two weeks later, on April 3.
During these two weeks, the SNP leadership battle following Sturgeon’s resignation on Feb. 15 saw Humza Yousaf win and form a new government.
The warrant to search Sturgeon’s house came as part of the investigation into the funding and finances of the SNP, where Murrell served as chief executive officer.
Murrell resigned from his post on March 18 and was arrested on April 5 when officers—having received the warrant—searched his home in Glasgow. On the same day, they carried out searches at the SNP headquarters in Edinburgh.
A luxury motor home was seized by police from outside a property in Dunfermline on the same morning that Murrell was arrested.
‘Political Considerations’
The two-week delay to grant the search warrant has prompted criticism among Scottish politicians who voiced concerns over the possible “political considerations” behind the wait.Former Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill called for a judge-led inquiry into the role of the COPFS.
“These are matters of the utmost gravity and seriousness with huge implications for the functioning of our legal system and our democracy,” MacAskill said in a statement on May 16.
