Ex-SNP chief used embezzled money to buy from local company

FORMER SNP chief executive Peter Murrell used funds embezzled from the party to buy goods from a Shetland based company, according to court documents.

Murrell pleaded guilty this morning (Monday) to embezzling more than £400,000 from the political party between August 2010 and October 2022.

This included spending SNP money on items for personal use from a number of companies between 2015 and 2022.

Peter Murrell. Photo: Police Scotland

Peter Murrell. Photo: Police Scotland

One of the companies listed in the charges is Shetland Jewellery, which is based in Weisdale.

Court documents say he spent £425 there on a 9ct gold pendant in July 2019.

Murrell, 61, pleaded guilty to spending just under £140,000 of the party’s money to buy items for himself or others, using credit or charge cards belonging to the SNP, from the various companies between 4 June 2015 and 22 June 2022.

In total, Murrell admitted embezzling around £400,000 from the party between August 2010 and October 2022. Among the most valuable items were two cars and a motorhome.

He appeared at the High Court in Edinburgh earlier today (25 May) for a preliminary hearing, where he admitted amended charges.

Murrell was remanded in custody ahead of sentencing next month.

Murrell was the SNP chief executive for more than 20 years. He married former first minister Nicola Sturgeon in 2010 before they announced their separation last year.

Commenting on social media, Sturgeon said she was “angry, hurt, sad and very distressed” about the impact of Murrell’s actions on family, friends and the SNP.

She also said she had “no knowledge or suspicion” that he was using SNP funds for personal use.

“I am utterly appalled that he did so and cannot begin to understand why,” she wrote.

First minister John Swinney, of the SNP, told a press conference that Murrell’s actions were a “betrayal”.

Police Scotland’s assistant chief constable Stuart Houston, who had oversight of Operation Branchform, the investigation into the embezzlement, 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.”

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.”