Peter Murrell, the SNP’s former chief executive, admitted to using party funds to splash out luxury goods, including a £124,000 motorhome, watches, fountain pens and cars
Nicola Sturgeon said she was appalled to discover her estranged husband had embezzled SNP funds(Image: POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Nicola Sturgeon has said she’s “utterly appalled” after her estranged husband pleaded guilty to embezzling more than £400,000 from the SNP to bankroll his lavish lifestyle.
Peter Murrell, the party’s former chief executive, admitted to using SNP funds to splash out on luxury goods, including a £124,000 motorhome, two Bremont watches for a total of £9,350, two Montblanc Boheme Noir fountain pens for £1,407 and a £3,500 Hamilton and Inches silver wine coaster.
Court documents show he created a false invoice for £57,500 to buy a £81,277 Jaguar I-Pace, which he then sold for £47,378. He used £16,489 of SNP funds for a £32,989 Volkswagen Golf.
He made some lower-end purchases, including £2.50 Neutrogena hand cream, staples for £4 and Chinese takeaway curry sauce paste for £12. He also splashed out on a £67 toilet seat, according to a 125-page list.
Nicola Sturgeon and Peter Murrell were once the power couple of Scottish politics (Image: Euan Cherry/WENN.com)
Murrell was first arrested in April 2023 as part of Operation Branchform – the police investigation into the SNP’s finances – and was charged in April 2024.
He was led from the docks in handcuffs and remanded in custody at the High Court in Edinburgh today. He will be sentenced on June 23, and faces a potentially lengthy stint behind bars.
Ms Sturgeon was married to Murrell for 15 years until the couple announced they had split last year. In a statement, she said: “To be deceived and let down by a husband I loved and trusted has caused me acute pain. Why he acted as he did is, and always will be, beyond my comprehension.
“To be clear: I had no knowledge or suspicion that he was using SNP funds for personal purposes. I am utterly appalled that he did so and cannot begin to understand why. That I was fully cleared after a thorough investigation underlines that these were not my crimes. I was misled, just as others were.”
Murrell and Ms Sturgeon were once one of the most powerful couples in UK politics. Ms Sturgeon was First Minister for eight years, and Murrell served as SNP chief executive for more than 20 years, until he stepped down in 2023 for misleading the media on party membership figures.
The explosive news has rocked the SNP. Party leader and First Minister John Swinney apologised to members, saying the “level of personal horror” he felt over Murrell’s crimes was “difficult for me to properly convey”.
He said it was a “terrible breach of trust and an overwhelming betrayal by the man entrusted to be the party’s chief executive”. He added: “Today I feel the overwhelming anger felt by SNP members.”
Murrell’s guilty plea was tendered on his behalf by his lawyer, John Scullion KC. Judge Lord Young afterwards told Murrell: “You have pleaded guilty to a charge of embezzlement over a period of 12 years. You embezzled just over £400,000 from the Scottish National Party.
“As the chief executive officer of that organisation throughout that period your actions constitute a gross breach of trust.”
Assistant Chief Constable Stuart Houston said: “This was a lengthy and extremely complex case due to the scale of criminality over a 12-year period and the lengths Peter Murrell went to try and cover his tracks.”
He added: “Peter Murrell has shown utter contempt for the high public trust placed in him as the chief executive of a political party and his position in the wider political establishment in Scotland for many years.
“He abused his privileged position with access to Scottish National Party funds to divert cash into his own accounts and bankroll the lavish lifestyle he craved but could not afford.
“From 2010 to 2022 he spent hundreds of thousands of pounds on luxury goods while carefully trying to hide his criminality with false receipts and accounting. He must now face the consequences of his actions.”
