Peter Murrell, the former chief executive of the Scottish National Party (SNP), has pleaded guilty to charges of embezzling more than £400,000 from the party after agreeing a deal with prosecutors. He appeared in the High Court in Edinburgh on Monday, having been charged last year with stealing funds to finance an expensive lifestyle that included a Jaguar car, a luxury motorhome, a luxury pen, and women's cosmetics.
In a deal brokered with prosecutors over recent weeks, the ex-husband of former SNP leader and First Minister Nicola Sturgeon admitted to reduced charges after nearly £60,000 in alleged embezzlement was removed from the six-page indictment. The judge, Lord Young, stated that Murrell was guilty of a "gross breach of trust" after embezzling party funds over a 12-year period and remanded him into custody.
Murrell, wearing a dark blue suit and black tie, was led away by a court security officer. He will appear in court again on 2 June, when full details of his crimes will be disclosed. The party's chief executive for 22 years, Murrell is scheduled to be sentenced on 23 June and faces a lengthy prison term for the embezzlement of £400,310.65.
The indictment included a 119-page list of items he purchased using SNP money, including Kindles, gardening equipment, telescopes, a VW Golf car, as well as the £124,000 motorhome and Jaguar car. The charge stated that he submitted false invoices, used the party's credit cards, falsified the party's accounts, and in some cases claimed these were legitimate expenses. Several times, he used credit cards taken out in the names of SNP staff who worked for him.
After Murrell's guilty plea, Sturgeon said she had "no knowledge or suspicion" of his misuse of SNP funds. "I am utterly appalled that he did so and cannot begin to understand why," she said. "These are not my crimes. I was misled just as others were." Sturgeon added: "For me this has also been a profound personal trauma. I need to remain focused on recovering from that and building a new phase of life. I will be making no further comment."
SNP leader John Swinney told a press conference: "Today I share the overwhelming anger felt by SNP members. I'm horrified. I am betrayed." He added: "This is an admission of a terrible breach of trust and an overwhelming betrayal by the man entrusted to be the party's chief executive."
Stuart Houston, assistant chief constable in overall charge of Police Scotland's investigation, known as Operation Branchform, said it had been "extremely complex" as Murrell had worked hard to cover his tracks. "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," Houston said. "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."
Operation Branchform was launched in July 2021 after police received a series of complaints about the SNP's finances, with concerns first raised in late 2020. During a turbulent period for the party, members serving on its finance and audit committee resigned, as did the party's treasurer, Douglas Chapman MP, saying they had been denied access to the SNP's accounts. Attention focused on the absence of more than £660,000 in donations raised by the SNP for pro-independence campaigns in the party's accounts; those campaigns were never staged. In September 2022, the party's longstanding auditors, Johnston Carmichael, resigned. While the party's then treasurer, Colin Beattie, acknowledged concerns about transparency, Sturgeon repeatedly insisted that the party's overall financial affairs were in order.
Murrell was arrested on 5 April 2023 at the home he shared with Sturgeon, and the motorhome was seized outside his mother's home in Fife. Detectives also raided the SNP's headquarters close to the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh. Sturgeon was arrested as a suspect in June 2023, four months after unexpectedly quitting as party leader. She was later cleared of wrongdoing. The couple separated after Murrell's arrest and disclosed their divorce last year. Beattie, who was also arrested, was cleared by police and never charged.
