Former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell has admitted embezzling £400,310.65 from the party.
Murrell, the estranged husband of former first minister Nicola Sturgeon, pleaded guilty at the High Court in Edinburgh on Monday.
Between August 2010 and October 2022, he used the funds to buy items including luxury goods and a motorhome, and towards the purchase of two cars.
A top police officer said Murrell, 61, diverted the cash from the SNP to “bankroll the lavish lifestyle he craved but could not afford”.
In an Instagram story, Ms Sturgeon posted: “My reaction to the guilty plea tendered today by my former husband is difficult to put into words.
“I am angry, hurt, sad and very distressed about the impact of his actions on family, friends and the SNP.
“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 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.
“I know that there will be political discussion in light of what has happened, and I understand why.
“However, 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.”
Murrell was first arrested in April 2023 as part of Operation Branchform – a Police Scotland probe into the funding and finances of the SNP – and was charged with embezzlement one year later.
Judge Lord Young told the once political party kingpin: “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.”
Murrell was handcuffed in the dock and remanded in custody ahead of his sentencing on 23 June.
He originally faced an embezzlement charge amounting to £459,046.49, but pleaded guilty to an amended indictment.
A full narrative of the facts will be heard in court when the case calls again on 2 June.
Following Monday’s hearing, the court published 125 pages of documents detailing the charge against Murrell.
It included using £16,489 of SNP money in 2016 in part payment for a £32,989 Volkswagen Golf.
He then used £57,500 of party funds towards the purchase of an £81,277 Jaguar I-PACE car in 2019.
Murrell then falsified an invoice “in an attempt to disguise the true nature of said purchase”, and when the motor was sold in 2021 to We Buy Any Car, £47,378.76 was paid into his personal bank account.
In 2020, he then used £124,550 of SNP funds to buy a Niesmann and Bischoff Smove 7.4E motorhome for his “own personal use”.
The indictment also includes dozens of retailers where Murrell made purchases totalling £139,971.
These purchases were made using credit cards or charge cards belonging to the SNP, with “false or inaccurate accounting codes and descriptions” for the items inserted into the party’s accounting system.
Goods purchased over the years included a PlayStation 3 for £247.42; games for multiple different consoles including Grand Theft Auto V (£42.99), The Sims 3: Pets (£31.82) and Battlefield 4 (£34.69); and two Bremont watches amounting to £9350.25.
Murrell, who had been SNP chief executive for more than 20 years, resigned in March 2023 amid a row over party membership numbers.
Ms Sturgeon and ex-party treasurer MSP Colin Beattie were also arrested as part of Operation Branchform, but both were later cleared of any wrongdoing by Police Scotland.
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.”
ACC Houston said the investigative work, in close partnership with the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS), was carried out “under the most intense public scrutiny”.
He added: “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.”
In January 2025, Ms Sturgeon announced she had split from Murrell.
The pair, who first met via the SNP in 1988 and became a couple in 2003, married in 2010.
Ms Sturgeon announced the separation in a post on Instagram, revealing they had been “separated for some time now” but “still care deeply for each other, and always will”.
Source: 
news.sky.com
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