Peter Murrell Embezzled £400,000 on 1,066 SNP Purchases, Including £124,550 Motorhome
Updated
Updated · BBC.com · Jun 1
Peter Murrell Embezzled £400,000 on 1,066 SNP Purchases, Including £124,550 Motorhome
9 articles · Updated · BBC.com · Jun 1
1,066 purchases worth more than £400,000 were made with SNP funds by former chief executive Peter Murrell between 2010 and October 2022, according to court documents ahead of a hearing.
£124,550 for a luxury motorhome marked the 2020 peak, but the spending ranged from Montblanc accessories and coffee machines to low-cost items such as £3.50 super glue and £2.50 hand cream.
More than 1,000 items were bought over 12 years, with spending rising sharply by 2016 and continuing—at a lower rate—even after questions emerged in 2020 over £600,000 in ringfenced independence donations.
June 2021 brought Murrell's £107,620 loan to the party, and Police Scotland opened Operation Branchform the next month; the embezzlement ended only in October 2022 before his March 2023 resignation.
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One man embezzled £400k over 12 years. Can Britain's political parties truly be trusted to police their own finances?