Police Scotland has denied it is responsible for any “hold up” in Operation Branchform.
The national constabulary has issued the same statement to reporters for weeks whenever it is asked for an update on the long-running investigation into SNP finances.
And the force has stood by its position following comments this week from Scotland’s most senior judge on an apparent “hold up” in the case.
Lord Carloway, who retires from his role as head of the judiciary next month, made clear in an interview he knew “absolutely nothing” about Operation Branchform. But he added: “I don’t know where the hold up is, whether it’s with the police or the Crown Office. It looks as though there is a hold up, yes.”
When the judge’s comments were put to the police, a spokesperson said: “On August 9, 2024, we presented the findings of the investigation to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service and we await their direction on what further action should be taken.”
Operation Branchform was launched by Police Scotland in July 2021 to investigate how more than £600,000 of donations to the SNP to fight a second independence referendum were ultimately spent.
The case became UK-wide news in April 2023 when officers searched a home belonging to Nicola Sturgeon and Peter Murrell for two days. The SNP HQ in Edinburgh was also searched.
Sturgeon, who was questioned by detectives in 2023 before being released without charge, has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.
Murrell was arrested and charged with embezzlement last year. Prosecutors have yet to announce whether he will face trial.
The former first minister announced earlier this month she had separated from her husband.
A spokesman for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) told the Herald: “It would not be appropriate to comment in detail on steps taken by the Crown during an investigation.
“The investigation into SNP finances is being handled by professional prosecutors from COPFS and independent counsel without the involvement of the Lord Advocate or Solicitor General.”
David Kennedy, general secretary of the Scottish Police Federation, previously told the Daily Mail: “The police investigation, as far as we are concerned, has been completed.
“It’s frustrating for the police officers involved that they’re continually getting the blame for dragging their heels. They have done all they can and it’s now down to the Crown Office.”
Sturgeon and Murrell have not been seen publicly together for almost two years.
The former first minister previously insisted her marriage was “not something anyone should worry about” after her shock resignation as First Minister in February 2023 following eight years in the job.
The next month Murrell resigned as SNP chief executive after 24 years in the job.
Within weeks Operation Branchform cops raided their home on the outskirts of Glasgow.
To sign up to the Daily Record Politics newsletter, clickhere