The Prime Minister of Scotland Hamza Yousaf declared today that he will not fire his predecessor Nicola Sturgeon after her arrest as part of a police investigation into funds going to the ruling Scottish National Party.

Police are investigating what happened to more than £600,000 raised by Scottish independence campaigners in 2017, which was supposed to be used to organize a referendum but may have been used for other purposes.

Youssaf is facing growing calls from party officials and rival politicians to suspend the party membership of Sturgeon, her husband Peter Murrell, the party’s former director and its former treasurer, who were arrested and later released without charge charges, while the investigation continues.

“I see no reason to suspend their party status,” Yousaf told the BBC. He said Sturgeon’s arrest “is very painful [για τον ίδιο] personally’, given their ‘long friendship’.

After being released on Sunday, Sturgeon said she had committed no crime and was innocent.