As we draw our live coverage to a close, here's a reminder of today's news.

• Former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon is no longer a suspect in the Police Scotland investigation into SNP finances
• The announcement came as her husband, ex-SNP chief executive Peter Murrell, appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court charged with embezzlement
• Murrell made no plea during a private hearing and was granted bail.
• Police also confirmed former SNP treasurer Colin Beattie was no longer under investigation
• Making a statement outside her Glasgow home, Sturgeon said had been told she was now "completely in the clear"
• The former first minister said: "I have done nothing wrong, and I don't think there was ever a scrap of evidence that I had done anything wrong."
• Scotland's First Minister John Swinney says he shares the relief Sturgeon and Beattie will be feeling

That's all from us today, thank you for joining us. The editor was Paul McLaren. The writers were Megan Bonar, Craig Hutchison and Steven Brocklehurst.

This saga was always going to take time to be resolvedpublished at 17:12 Greenwich Mean Time 20 March

17:12 GMT 20 March

David Cowan
Home Affairs Correspondent, BBC Scotland

A legal clock has started ticking.

Under rules brought in to deal with the backlog in cases caused by the pandemic, Peter Murrell will have to stand trial within 18 months.

Much of what happened today was absolutely standard.

Mr Murrell's legal team has been given the evidence which forms the basis for the first draft of charges he faced in court.

That will allow his lawyers to prepare a defence or to consider a guilty plea.

What was unusual was the amount of detail in the Crown Office press release on Mr Murrell's court appearance, a reflection of the public and media interest in the case.

The Crown sought to explain the process, warn all of us that proceedings are active under the Contempt of Court Act (with penalties of up to two years in prison and/or an unlimited fine), and point out that Scotland's chief law officers haven't been involved in any of this.

The Lord Advocate and Solicitor General lead the Crown Office but also act as chief legal advisors to the Scottish Government and its SNP administration.

For that reason, they've played no part in the decision-making process.

Questions will no doubt be asked over the time it's taken to get to this stage; the police inquiry into the SNP's funding and finances was launched in July 2021.

Financial investigations are always complex. The message from inside the investigation was that it would take as long as it takes.

As for how long it will be before we get to the next stage of this saga, that will be decided by the lawyers and dictated by the workload in Scotland's courts.

The former SNP treasurer Colin Beattie says he is very relieved by today's news and finding out he is no longer under investigation.

"I knew myself I'd done nothing wrong, but two years is a long time to be waiting for a result.

"It's been a hard time for my family, for my wife, for myself and I still haven't quite taken it on board."

Image source, Getty Images

We are just about to hear from Colin Beattie, who also arrested an released without charge as part of the Police Scotland investigation.

He was the SNP's treasurer for a number of years meaning he was tasked with overseeing party finances.

He has also been the MSP for Midlothian North and Musselburgh since he was elected in 2011.

In 2023, he was arrested during the Operation Branchform investigation into the SNP finances. He was later released without charge, but resigned as SNP treasurer the day after.

Police Scotland confirmed that inquiries into Beattie and Nicola Sturgeon had "concluded".

It has been reported that Beattie intends to stand for re-election next year.

John Swinney says his “firm, principled leadership” should give people “confidence” about where the SNP is today.

He says he is concentrating on addressing “the priorities of the people of Scotland directly, firmly and clearly".

"We are determined to bring hope to the people of Scotland through Independence," he adds.

BBC Scotland's political correspondent Lynsey Bews asks if the first minister is worried these events will still be hanging over the party in some sense ahead of the 2026 Holyrood elections.

Swinney replies: "We are in a much clearer position today."

He adds: "I think we can feel that some of the difficulties that we've experienced as a consequence of this investigation being under way have now moved on."

Asked about the impact the Police Scotland investigation has had on the SNP, Swinney says it has "of course" contributed to the difficult times recently faced by the party".

He says the party has been an “alleged victim of embezzlement” and the fact he is currently first minister is an indication of those difficulties.

John Swinney begins by pointing out there are live proceedings which he cannot comment on.

The first minister is giving his reaction to news that the police investigation into Nicola Sturgeon has been closed.

He says: "This will have been a very difficult and challenging experience for Nicola Sturgeon and for Colin Beattie (the former SNP treasurer), and I know they will be relieved by the outcome of the proceedings today.

"I share that relief for them and I hope this provides the opportunity for Nicola and Colin to move on."

Image source, PA Media

We'll shortly be hearing from Scotland's First Minister John Swinney following Nicola Sturgeon's statement about the police investigation into her being closed.

Image source, PA

On a very busy day of news, it's worth pausing and taking stock of the events as they unfolded.

Former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon is no longer a suspect in the Police Scotland investigation into SNP finances.

The announcement came as her husband, ex-SNP chief executive Peter Murrell, appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court charged with embezzlement.

Murrell made no plea during a private hearing and was granted bail.

Police also confirmed former SNP treasurer Colin Beattie was no longer under investigation.

Making a statement outside her Glasgow home, Sturgeon said had been told she was now "completely in the clear".

The former first minister said: "I have done nothing wrong, and I don't think there was ever a scrap of evidence that I had done anything wrong."

The latest chapter in the Sturgeon story has moved at a pacepublished at 16:15 Greenwich Mean Time 20 March

16:15 GMT 20 March

Philip Sim
BBC Scotland political correspondent

After a process which has run for years, things have happened very quickly for Nicola Sturgeon over the past week.

Last Tuesday she announced she was going to stand down from the Scottish Parliament, looking ahead to a new chapter in life after 27 years at Holyrood.

Yesterday she underlined that writing is a big part of that, launching the title page and release date for her memoirs.

And today a major cloud has been lifted from the horizon by the fact she is no longer the focus of the police investigation.

Yes, there is still the prospect of her estranged husband facing a trial, having appeared in court this morning.

There is no fixed timeline for any further appearance for Peter Murrell in the legal procedure; it could take many more months.

But for Nicola Sturgeon, things have moved very swiftly indeed over the last few days.

Today's events come just over a week after Nicola Sturgeon announced she was to stand down as an MSP.

The ex-SNP leader confirmed she would not seek re-election at the Holyrood election in May next year.

After announcing her decision on social media, she told BBC Scotland News her time in parliament had been a "privilege beyond words".

She added: "But the time is right for me at this stage in my life to close the book on that chapter and open a new one."

If you're just joining us, here are the key lines from the statement Nicola Sturgeon has just made outside her home near Glasgow.

• Sturgeon says today has been a "day of mixed emotions"
• The former first minister adds after a "very thorough investigation" she was informed today that there would be no action taken against her
• "I am completely in the clear," says the former first minister. "I have done nothing wrong"
• Sturgeon added: "Obviously it is a relief now to have that confirmed."
• She says she has no plans to return to frontline politics and John Swinney has her full support.

The former first minister gave her statement after it was confirmed she is no longer a suspect in the Police Scotland investigation into SNP finances.

Her husband, ex-SNP chief executive Peter Murrell, appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court earlier today charged with embezzlement.

Asked if the investigation has impacted the SNP, Sturgeon says it will have "raised a lot of doubts" about the party but she thinks polls suggest they still have support.

"The SNP is still the party that most people support, and I think that is testament to the strength of the party and our record in government," she says.

The former first minister adds that she has no plans to return to frontline politics and the current FM and SNP leader John Swinney has her full support.

In response to a question about whether the police investigation had gone on too long, Sturgeon says: "I was first minister of this country for the best part of a decade, I have utmost respect for the police and the prosecution authorities in our country and I'm never going to say or do anything to undermine that.

Sturgeon tells reporters: "As I have said to you many times, I have done nothing wrong so I was confident of reaching this point and getting to this outcome.

"Obviously it is a relief now to have that confirmed."

She says that for almost two years she had this "cloud of investigation hanging over me".

"It won't surprise anyone to hear that has not been an easy experience," she says.

Speaking outside her home near Glasgow, Nicola Sturgeon says it has been a "day of mixed emotions" for her.

She says she had been advised that after a "very thorough investigation of all the evidence " there would be no action against her.

"In other words I am completely in the clear," she says. "That is the outcome I had always expected."

Scotland's former first minister Nicola Sturgeon has begun to make a live statement outside here home.

Stick with us and you can watch the statement in full by clicking on the Watch live icon at the top of the page.

We'll bring you reports and analysis throughout the afternoon.

Image source, Getty Images

Peter Murrell, the man right at the heart of today's events, was the chief executive of the SNP for 23 years and is credited as playing an important role in the party's electoral success but resigned during a row over membership numbers.

He is also the soon to be ex-husband of former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon. The pair married in 2010 but announced earlier this year they had separated.

Murrell largely avoided the limelight as the FM's husband but his role as chief executive came under scrutiny during the inquiry into the Scottish government's handling of complaints against former SNP leader and First Minister Alex Salmond and again when it emerged he had given the SNP a £100,000 loan.

He resigned in 2023 and the next year he was arrested and charged with embezzling party funds.

In today's developments, he has now appeared in court and been released on bail.