Nicola Sturgeon denies knowledge of items bought when husband embezzled 400 000 in SNP party funds

Former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell has been remanded in custody at the High Court in Edinburgh after pleading guilty to embezzling £400,310.65 from the political party. Murrell admitted the charges when he appeared at the court on Monday morning. He admitted an amended indictment which reduced the amount of the embezzled money down from more than £459,000.

The former chief executive, who is Nicola Sturgeon’s estranged husband, was charged with embezzling the funds from the Scottish National Party between August 2010 and October 2022. First Minister John Swinney said the embezzlement was a "terrible breach of trust" and an "overwhelming betrayal".

In January last year, Ms Sturgeon announced she and Murrell had "decided to end" their marriage. In a statement posted on social media Ms Sturgeon, who stepped down as an MSP ahead of the Holyrood election earlier this month, said her reaction was "difficult to put into words". "To be clear: I had no knowledge or suspicion whatsoever that he was using SNP funds for personal purposes."

Murrell’s conviction is the result of a police investigation called Operation Branchform, which was first launched in 2021. The operation investigated the SNP’s funding and finances and involved several high-profile arrests. The policing cost of the long-running investigation reached more than £2 million.

A £1,200 space telescope, a designer bread bin costing £60 and two toilet seats for nearly £70 are some of the items Peter Murrell bought using money he embezzled from the SNP. He also bought three designer manicure sets for nearly £294, DVDs of the Danish political thriller Borgen, a Grand Theft Auto V video game and a designer egg poacher set for nearly £24. Also among his purchases were a Jura Giga 5 Cromo coffee machine for nearly £3,232 - and a book of speeches by his estranged wife, Nicola Sturgeon.

Sentencing is due to take place on the 23rd of June.


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