Public 'scratching heads in disbelief' at length of 1,273-day SNP police probe Operation Branchform
The Scottish public are scratching their heads in disbelief at the length of time taken by the ongoing police investigation into the SNP's finances, a senior Tory MSP has said.
Craig Hoy, his party’s finance spokesman, said the probe had so far lasted 1,273 days.
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Hide AdIt came as he questioned SNP ministers in Holyrood over whether they knew the identities of the police officers involved in the investigation, which is called Operation Branchform.


Justice secretary Angela Constance declined to comment because the case is live. The Tories accused the Scottish Government of “evasiveness”.
Peter Murrell, the former chief executive of the SNP and Nicola Sturgeon’s husband, was charged by police in April last year in connection with the alleged embezzlement of party funds.
It came just over a year after police swooped on the home shared by the couple on the outskirts of Glasgow, sending shockwaves across Scotland.
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Hide AdMs Sturgeon was arrested and released without charge in June 2023.
Speaking in Holyrood, Mr Hoy said: "While the Crown Office determines whether to prosecute Peter Murrell and the police decide whether to charge Nicola Sturgeon, the public continue to scratch their heads in disbelief at the 1,273 days spent so far on Operation Branchform.”
He said 11 police officers were involved in the ongoing investigation, and a Freedom of Information request had recently asked the Scottish Government if and when it had been made aware of their identities.
Mr Hoy added: "In response, the Government said giving answers would, and I quote, 'substantially prejudice the investigation', which strongly suggests the Government may well be aware of those facts.
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Hide Ad"So can the minister [Ms Constance] explain why revealing the specific date when officers' identities could have become known would risk prejudicing the police probe, and if the Government has nothing to hide why will it not confirm how it may have secured the identities of the investigating officers, if indeed it is in receipt of them?"
Ms Constance said the matter was subject to an ongoing police investigation, "and as such it would not be appropriate to comment".
A Crown Office spokesman said: “A standard prosecution report has been received by the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) from Police Scotland in relation to a 60-year-old man [Mr Murrell] and incidents said to have occurred between 2016 and 2023.
“Connected investigations of two other individuals, a man aged 73 [Colin Beattie, the former SNP treasurer] and a 54-year-old woman [Ms Sturgeon], remain ongoing.
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Hide Ad“Professional prosecutors from COPFS and independent counsel will review this report. They will make decisions on the next steps without involving the Lord Advocate or Solicitor General. All Scotland's prosecutors operate independently of political influence.”
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