Former SNP chief Peter Murrell jailed for five years for embezzling party funds

Sentencing at Edinburgh High Court

Former Scottish National Party chief executive Peter Murrell was jailed for five years and three months on Tuesday at the Edinburgh High Court after pleading guilty to embezzling £400,310.65 from the party between August 2010 and October 2022. Judge Andrew Young described the crime as a "calculated crime of dishonesty" involving a "large number of fraudulent acts over a 12-year period." The judge said the sentence should "act as a deterrent to any senior officials in other large organizations who might be tempted to abuse their position."

Your actions involved a significant breach of trust to the organization which you led, and to the individual members and donors.

What the stolen money bought

Murrell used party funds to purchase a Volkswagen and a Jaguar car, a motorhome costing six figures, and luxury items from brands such as Estee Lauder, Harrods, and LeCreuset. Receipts presented in court showed a £3,500 silver wine coaster claimed as "leadership expenses," a robotic lawn mower for £3,070 filed as "legal fees," and a two-piece silicone egg poacher set described as "Ethernet cabling." Many high-value items were never even used, the judge noted.

Political fallout and unanswered questions

The conviction has reignited scrutiny of SNP internal governance, which Edinburgh University professor James Mitchell called "the greatest scandal" since devolution. Current First Minister John Swinney, who had dismissed earlier claims of financial irregularities, now faces calls from opposition leader Russell Findlay for an inquiry. Police Scotland's Operation Branchform investigation continues; sources indicate investigators still have questions for Nicola Sturgeon despite her being cleared of wrongdoing in March last year.

Sturgeon's response

Nicola Sturgeon, who resigned as first minister in February 2023 months before her own arrest and subsequent release without charge, said through her solicitor Aamer Anwar that she was "utterly deceived and let down by her husband." Anwar added that Sturgeon remains "angry, hurt and distressed" and finds it "beyond her comprehension" why Murrell acted as he did. She insisted she had no knowledge of the embezzlement.

Ms Sturgeon was utterly deceived and let down by her husband whom she had trusted. Why he acted as he did will always be beyond her comprehension.

What comes next

Prosecutors will seek to recoup the embezzled funds through proceeds of crime action. Murrell's lawyer John Scullion said his client wanted to repay the money as a form of atonement, acknowledging that a custodial sentence was deserved. Confiscation hearings have been postponed until September 2026. The sentence was backdated to May 25, the day Murrell entered his guilty plea.