Murrell to be sentenced for embezzling SNP funds

Former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell is due to be sentenced after he admitted embezzling more than £400,000 from the party.

The 61-year-old used the funds to make hundreds of extravagant purchases, including a £124,550 motorhome, cars, jewellery, luxury homewares and designer stationery.

He also falsified accounting records and created fake invoices in a bid to cover up his wrongdoing.

Murrell last month pleaded guilty to embezzling a total of £400,310.65 over a 12-year period between August 2010 and October 2022.

His guilty plea has led to intense scrutiny for his former wife Nicola Sturgeon, who has denied knowing of his crimes, saying she was "deceived, misled and betrayed".

The former SNP leader said she has been "completely exonerated" after a "two-year-long, very forensic police investigation" which saw police officers search the home she and Murrell had shared.

Ms Sturgeon was arrested and questioned as part of the police investigation into the SNP’s finances, which was known as Operation Branchform, but Police Scotland confirmed she would face no action.

Proceedings for recovering the embezzled funds are expected to be discussed as part of the sentencing hearing.

The court previously heard Murrell's role enabled him to make direct transfers of cash from the party’s main bank account, which held funds from "membership fees and donations paid by party members and other donors and legacies".

Murrell also used multiple party "charge cards", as well as making a number of false expense claims.

He tried to dodge suspicion by giving his purchases "misleading descriptions and/or accounting codes" in the party’s finance system, to which he had direct access.

The court heard a robotic lawnmower, which was purchased by Murrell for £3,070, was misdescribed as "legal fees" in the SNP’s accounting software.

A silver wine coaster worth £3,500 was described as "leadership expenses".

Murrell’s offending came to light after police began receiving complaints about potential mismanagement of the SNP’s finances in March 2021.

This led to an investigation, during which police uncovered evidence of Murrell’s embezzlement.