Nicola Sturgeon will not make public the written statement she provided to police investigating the finances of the Scottish National Party (SNP), her lawyer confirmed.
Aamer Anwar, Sturgeon's lawyer, stated Monday night that neither the former First Minister's written statement nor her police interview would be released.
The decision comes despite the Mail previously reporting that Police Scotland and the Crown Office had no objections to Sturgeon publishing her statement. Anwar insisted his client is innocent and that there is no obligation for her to prove this in the media.
"Ms Sturgeon's detailed statement produced for Police Scotland was to assist them with their inquiries; not for those who think they could now do a better job than the robust ‘gold-plated’ financial crime investigation," Anwar said in a statement. "Ms Sturgeon is innocent, as evidenced by the fact that she was not charged, prosecuted nor convicted of any crime."
Sturgeon gave a statement to officers investigating the SNP's funding and finances. The probe resulted in the jailing of her estranged husband and former party boss Peter Murrell for five years and three months for embezzling over £400,000.
Detectives had reportedly been frustrated by Sturgeon's "no comment" interview with police. She subsequently provided a written statement, but it emerged that it did not address all points raised, and officers had further questions. Sturgeon has maintained that she fully cooperated with the police investigation.
Scottish Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie commented, "Nicola Sturgeon thinks this affair will just go away and the public will move on. But the truth is, there are serious outstanding questions about this SNP scandal and Nicola Sturgeon’s part in it which must be answered."