Peter Murrell Faces Sentencing Over £400,310 SNP Embezzlement
Updated
Updated · BBC.com · Jun 22
Peter Murrell Faces Sentencing Over £400,310 SNP Embezzlement
3 articles · Updated · BBC.com · Jun 22
Summary
Tuesday’s High Court hearing in Edinburgh will decide Peter Murrell’s sentence after the former SNP chief executive admitted stealing £400,310.65 from party funds between 2010 and 2022.
The 61-year-old, remanded in custody since his guilty plea last month, used charge cards, bank transfers and fake invoices to buy cars, a motorhome, jewellery, cosmetics, kitchenware and toiletries.
Police Scotland’s 2021 probe into SNP finances began over £667,000 raised for a second independence referendum campaign and uncovered Murrell’s embezzlement while officers were investigating potential fraud.
Nicola Sturgeon, Murrell’s estranged wife, says she was "deceived, betrayed and lied to"; she was arrested during the inquiry but later told she was no longer under investigation.
John Swinney has apologised to party members and called Murrell’s conduct an "overwhelming betrayal," while rejecting demands for a separate inquiry beyond the four-year police investigation.