Former Scottish National Party chief admits embezzling £400,000

Former Scottish National Party chief executive Peter Murrell has admitted embezzling £400,310.65 from the party.

Murrell, the estranged husband of former first minister Nicola Sturgeon, pleaded guilty at the High Court in Edinburgh on May 25, Caliber.Az reports, citing foreign media.

Between August 2010 and October 2022, he used the funds to buy items, including luxury goods and a motorhome, and towards the purchase of two cars.

A top police officer said Murrell, 61, diverted the cash from the SNP to "bankroll the lavish lifestyle he craved but could not afford".

In an Instagram story, Ms Sturgeon posted: " My reaction to the guilty plea tendered today by my former husband is difficult to put into words. I am angry, hurt, sad and very distressed about the impact of his actions on family, friends and the SNP.”

Murrell was first arrested in April 2023 as part of Operation Branchform - a Police Scotland probe into the funding and finances of the SNP - and was charged with embezzlement one year later.

He was handcuffed in the dock and remanded in custody ahead of his sentencing on 23 June.

Murrell, who had been SNP chief executive for more than 20 years, resigned in March 2023 amid a row over party membership numbers.

He originally faced an embezzlement charge amounting to £459,046.49, but pleaded guilty to an amended indictment. A full narrative of the facts will be heard in court when the case is called again on 2 June.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov