Peter Murrell accused of embezzling £460,000 from the SNP in eight court charges

The former chief executive of the SNP Peter Murrell is accused of embezzling £460,000 from the SNP over 13 years, according to court papers. 

The estranged husband of former first minister Nicola Sturgeon is alleged to have used party funds to purchase luxury items, including a campervan, cosmetics, and jewellery, according to documents reported by The Scottish Sun.  

He is accused of embezzling £459,046.49 of SNP funds over the period from August 2010 to January 2023 – the month before Nicola Sturgeon resigned as first minister.  

One charge says he created a “false invoice” to provide party accountants, which led to “false and inaccurate” information being recorded in an “accounting system used by the Scottish National Party in an attempt to disguise the true nature” of the purchase of a Jaguar car.  

The indictment states that in August 2021, the car was sold to We Buy Any Car in Glasgow, and £47,378.76 was paid into Murrell's personal bank account.  

The charges against Murrell are included in an indictment, pending a court appearance scheduled for next Friday. He is yet to enter a plea. 

Murrell served as SNP chief executive from 2001 to 2023. 

In April 2023, Murrell and Sturgeon’s home was searched by police, two months after she announced she would step down as leader of the party.