6 hours Ago By Conor Matchett
ALEX Salmond helped detectives investigating ex-pal Nicola Sturgeon and her husband Peter Murrell over around £500,000 in donations allegedly missing from the SNP, we can reveal. The late former First Minister met cops and spoke to them at length about the long-running fraud probe into the finances of the party he once led. A source said: “As someone who knows the party inside out, Salmond was clearly valuable to police.
” Cops probing SNP finances were desperate to speak to Alex Salmond about party spending during his leadership, it was revealed. Mr Salmond secretly met with Operation Branchform detectives to share insights, sources told The Scottish Sun. But the Alba Party chief ultimately did not give a formal statement to officers before his death in October — despite helping the investigation into his former deputy Nicola Sturgeon and other Nats figures.
A source said: “The idea was that as a former SNP leader, he could provide expertise. “After all, it is the party leader who has overall responsibility for party matters.” It is understood Mr Salmond met detectives more than a year ago, following a request.
Details of the talks follow concerns about the time prosecutors are taking to decide whether to charge Ms Sturgeon plus ex-SNP treasurer Colin Beattie MSP after their arrest last year. Most read in The Sun The former First Minister’s husband, ex-SNP chief executive Peter Murrell, was charged with embezzlement in April. We have been told Mr Salmond also spoke to police about Operation Newbiggin — a probe into claims of leaks about the Scottish Government’s inquiry into Mr Salmond’s conduct.
In March, police said no action was being taken. They launched Operation Branchform in July 2021 following allegations about around £500,000 in donations linked to an indy referendum war chest. Officers raided Ms Sturgeon and Mr Murrell’s Glasgow home plus the SNP’s Edinburgh HQ days after she stepped down as First Minister in March 2023.
In a separate swoop, cops took away a £110,000 camper van from outside Mr Murrell’s mother’s house in Dunfermline. Ms Sturgeon — who denies wrongdoing — has insisted she is still in the dark about the probe. In May, the Crown Office revealed it had received a “prosecution report”.
READ MORE SUN STORIES Cops later confirmed they had “presented the findings” of the probe so far to prosecutors. Police Scotland said it would not comment on who it does or does not speak to as part of an investigation..
