Questions mount for senior SNP figures after Peter Murrell guilty plea
The former SNP chief executive, who is Nicola Sturgeon’s estranged husband, will be sentenced next month
Senior SNP figures are facing mounting questions after former chief executive Peter Murrell admitted embezzling hundreds of thousands of pounds from the party.
Murrell is today behind bars after pleading guilty to embezzling more than £400,000 over a 12-year period to fund a lavish lifestyle and purchase an array of luxury goods, as well as more bizarre, low-cost items such as chopsticks.
He was handcuffed and remanded into custody at the High Court in Edinburgh on Monday after admitting the charges, which the judge called “a gross breach of trust”. He will be sentenced on June 23.
The 61-year-old, who is Nicola Sturgeon’s estranged husband, was charged with embezzling £400,310.65 from the SNP between August 2010 and October 2022.
He admitted an amended indictment which reduced the amount of the embezzled money down from more than £459,000.
Police Scotland said Murrell had abused his privileged position to “bankroll the lavish lifestyle he craved but could not afford”.
In a statement posted on social media, Ms Sturgeon, who announced her split from Murrell last year, said her reaction was “difficult to put into words”.
“To be deceived and let down by a husband I loved and trusted has caused me acute pain,” she wrote. “Why he acted as he did is, and always will be, beyond my comprehension.
“To be clear: I had no knowledge or suspicion whatsoever 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 are not my crimes. I was misled just as others were.”
Ms Sturgeon later issued a further statement insisting she had “no knowledge or suspicion whatsoever that personal items had been purchased using SNP funds”.
She added: “In relation to many of the items in question, for example expensive watches and games consoles, I was not aware of them having been purchased at all.
“Indeed in relation to the item of largest value – a campervan – I was not aware of its existence until it featured in the police investigation in early 2023, nor was it parked in our driveway as has been claimed by some.
“In respect of any items I was aware of Peter having purchased, I had no reason to doubt that he had used his own money. We were both earning high salaries and, due to the responsibilities of my job, rarely socialised or went on holidays.
"We had separate bank accounts and I had no access to his financial records.”
Speaking at a press conference in Edinburgh, First Minister John Swinney expressed his “personal horror” at Murrell’s offending.
“By embezzling from the SNP, Peter Murrell was stealing the hopes, the dreams, and the aspirations of thousands of people all over Scotland, people who gave what they could over many years in the hope that it would help contribute to a better country,” he said.
“So today I am horrified, I am betrayed.”
However, Scottish Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie said Murrell’s “bombshell plea” had not put the issue to bed. She said Mr Swinney should now “do the right thing” and provide compensation to SNP members.
Ms Baillie said: “This was a large-scale fraud, with Murrell spending money donated in good faith on luxury items including cosmetics, jewellery, cars, and a motorhome.
“During the time of Murrell’s crimes, Swinney was also at the heart of the SNP government, serving as Sturgeon’s deputy.
“He was the leader of the SNP who appointed Murrell to the role of chief executive back in 2001. The idea that he has no part in this murky affair is laughable.
“Swinney should do the right thing and provide compensation to all those who handed over their money to the SNP.”
Former SNP MP Douglas Chapman, who resigned as national treasurer of the party in May 2021 amid a row over financial transparency, posted on social media: “When you circle the wagons make sure you’re protecting the right guys!
“SNP groupthink plus lack of self-awareness, political judgement and decency suggests there will be no apology from the party hierarchy - some of whom are now serving as MSPs/ministers in [the Scottish government].”
Joanna Cherry, the former SNP MP and outspoken critic of the party’s recent leadership, called for Mr Swinney to be replaced.
“I think if the party is to advance and if the cause of independence is to advance, somebody needs to address what went on during the Sturgeon years and distance the modern SNP from that,” she told reporters.
“John Swinney has proven himself incapable of doing that and so I’d like to see a new leader.”
Ms Cherry urged Mr Swinney to apologise to the SNP members who had their money stolen and not “paint the SNP or Nicola Sturgeon as a victim”.
“Recognise the true victims,” she said, “many of the ordinary decent working-class people who donated small amounts of money to the party because they believed it would be spent on independence”.
Ms Cherry said those who questioned the party’s finances, including her, were also owed an apology as she urged Mr Swinney to set up an independent inquiry.
Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay said: “John Swinney is desperately trying to play the victim while refusing to even question Nicola Sturgeon's story about what she knew.
“He was eventually shamed into apologising to his own members whose hard-earned money was stolen by Peter Murrell and who are entitled to a full refund.
“No wonder he hopes this all blows over - because he also has difficult questions to answer.
“He's been at the centre of the SNP for decades, but he wants victims to believe he knew, saw or suspected nothing suspicious was going on. It's not credible.”
Murrell’s guilty plea was tendered on his behalf by his lawyer, John Scullion KC.
Judge Lord Young afterwards told Murrell: “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.”
Murrell admitted using the SNP’s money to buy items including a £124,550 motorhome and luxury goods, and towards the purchase of two cars.
A list of hundreds of other purchases includes designer kitchenware, multiple pairs of shoes, expensive pens and a £1,200 space telescope.
The former party boss was first arrested in April 2023 as part of the police investigation into the SNP’s finances, and was charged in April 2024.
He appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court in March 2025 where he faced a charge of embezzlement, making no plea.
Until he stood down in 2023 during the leadership race to succeed Ms Sturgeon, Murrell had been chief executive of the SNP for more than 20 years.
They had previously been one of the most powerful couples in UK politics, with Ms Sturgeon serving for more than eight years as first minister and SNP leader.
In January last year, Ms Sturgeon announced she and Murrell had “decided to end” their marriage.
Murrell’s conviction is the result of a long-running police investigation called Operation Branchform, which was launched in 2021 and cost more than £2 million.
It investigated the SNP’s funding and finances and involved several high-profile arrests. Ms Sturgeon was arrested in June 2023 and released without charge.
Assistant Chief Constable Stuart Houston, who had oversight of Operation Branchform, 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.
“I commend the professionalism and absolute dedication of the Operation Branchform team who spent more than four years carrying out extensive enquiries across Europe to unpick Murrell’s offending.
“All of this work, in close partnership with colleagues from the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, was carried out under the most intense public scrutiny and it was their commitment to gathering such detailed and compelling evidence that brought us to the High Court today.
“This is without doubt one of the most high-profile investigations in recent times and it is testimony to the work of Police Scotland officers and staff that has led to Peter Murrell’s admission of guilt early in the court process.
“I would also like to thank the many witnesses who came forward to provide us with statements as we built the case against Peter Murrell. Their engagement with us was vital.
“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.”