Peter Murrell, the former chief executive of the Scottish National Party (SNP), has been sentenced to five years and three months in prison after admitting embezzling more than £400,000 from the party’s funds over 12 years.Murrell, 61, the estranged husband of former Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon, embezzled £400,315.65 between 2010 and 2022, using the money to buy a range of personal items, from luxury motorhomes and Jaguar SUVs to designer accessories, jewelery and homewares.The sentence handed down by the High Court of Justice in Scotland dates back to May 25, when Murrell pleaded guilty and was remanded in custody.
“Calculated crime of dishonesty”
Sentencing, Lord Justice Young described Murrell’s actions as a “carefully calculated crime of dishonesty” that was a serious breach of trust in the SNP and its donors.The court heard Murrell concealed the fraud by submitting forged invoices, entering false accounting codes and manipulating party accounts to disguise personal expenses as legitimate party expenses.Lord Young said the punishment was a warning not just to Murrell but to senior officials in other organisations.The judge said: “One factor in the sentence I impose today is to act as a deterrent to any senior officials in other large organizations who might abuse their position as you did.”The court said Murrell could face seven years in prison if he contests the charges and goes to trial.
Use party money to spend extravagantly
Investigators uncovered a long list of purchases funded with SNP funds. The most expensive of them all was a luxury motorhome worth around £124,550, purchased entirely with party funds in 2020. When police impounded the car three years later, it was reported that it had only traveled four miles.The stolen funds were also used to buy a Jaguar SUV, a Volkswagen Golf, luxury watches, Montblanc pens, jewellery, cosmetics, gaming consoles, a coffee machine worth £3,223, a robotic lawn mower worth £3,000 and Lalique salt and pepper grinders worth around £2,600.Court documents also detail purchases of smaller items including loafers, toiletries, chopstick sets and even hand cream.
no clear motive
Despite a detailed criminal social work report being prepared following the interview with Murrell, the court said no convincing explanation for the offending had been offered.Lord Young noted that several high-value items purchased with party funds had barely been used, making it difficult to understand the motivations behind the fraud.The judge said: “I am unable to identify any factor which contributed to your offending which could be regarded as mitigating.”The court heard Murrell admitted that before his arrest he found it impossible to stop the embezzlement.
Defense expresses remorse and isolation
Murrell’s lawyer, John Scullion KC, told the court his client accepted full responsibility and accepted a prison sentence was the only appropriate punishment.Since Murrell’s arrest, Scullion said, he has been consumed by guilt, embarrassment and shame and has been largely cut off from friends, colleagues and former colleagues.He described the former SNP chairman as a “figure of public ridicule” whose future after prison appeared “bleak and lonely”.The defense also argued Murrell was at low risk of re-offending.
Operation Branchform exposes fraud
The case stems from Operation Branchform, an investigation launched by Police Scotland in 2021 after concerns were raised over the handling of more than £660,000 in donations raised for the future of the Scottish independence movement.When examining the party’s finances, investigators uncovered evidence that Murrell had diverted SNP funds for personal use for more than a decade.Murrell was arrested in April 2023, shortly after he resigned as SNP chief executive amid a separate dispute over party membership.Police searched his and Sturgeon’s home in Glasgow and the Scottish National Party headquarters in Edinburgh.
Sturgeon says she ‘was lied to’
Nicola Sturgeon, who was questioned during the investigation but later acquitted, has repeatedly denied any knowledge of Murrell’s misconduct.After his guilty plea, she said she had been “deceived” and was “absolutely shocked” by the revelations.Sturgeon said she was unaware that many of the luxury items listed in the court documents were purchased with party funds and had no reason to believe they were not purchased with Murrell’s own money.
Repayment procedures to be followed
The court was told Murrell had sufficient personal assets to repay the money he had stolen from the SNP under a criminal confiscation order.However, the process of determining the final amount recoverable by the state has been postponed until September. Under proceeds of crime legislation, additional costs, interest and financial benefits derived from crime may also be taken into account.Murrell will be eligible for parole after serving half of his sentence – just two years and seven months behind bars.
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