Police Scotland have announced that former Scottish National Party (SNP) leader Nicola Sturgeon, who was earlier arrested as part of an investigation into the party’s funding, has been released without charge.

A Police Scotland spokesman said: “A 52-year-old woman has been arrested today, Sunday 11 June 2023, as a suspect in connection with the ongoing investigation into the funding and finances of the Scottish National Party.

“The woman is in custody and being questioned by Police Scotland.”

Sturgeon, who resigned as SNP leader in early April, is the third person to be arrested as part of Operation Branchform, the Police Scotland investigation into allegations that more than £600,000 of independence campaign donations were misspent by party.

Her husband, Peter Murrell, the former chief executive of the SNP, was arrested at their home in Uddingston near Glasgow on April 5 and questioned for almost 12 hours before being released without charge.

Police searched their home and garden, and also searched the SNP headquarters with a warrant, taking out boxes of documents and computers.

Colin Beattie MSP, then party treasurer, was also arrested and questioned as part of the same investigation on April 18 and was also later released without charge pending further investigation.