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Peter Murrell, once the chief executive of the SNP, now faces serious allegations of embezzling £459,000 from the party over a period spanning more than a decade. The charges, detailed in an indictment reviewed by BBC News, accuse Murrell of illicitly diverting funds from August 2010 to January 2023 for personal expenditures. These expenditures reportedly include luxury goods, jewellery, cosmetics, and vehicles such as two cars and a motorhome.
Originally scheduled for a preliminary court appearance on an upcoming Friday, Murrell’s hearing has been rescheduled to take place at Edinburgh’s High Court on 25 May. During an initial court appearance at Edinburgh Sheriff Court last year, he did not enter a plea, and bail was granted. Murrell’s arrest was part of Operation Branchform, an investigation launched by police into the SNP’s financial activities. While Murrell has been charged with embezzlement as of April 2024, his estranged wife, former first minister Nicola Sturgeon, was questioned during the investigation but has since been confirmed by police to no longer be under scrutiny.
The indictment outlines a series of transactions in which party funds were allegedly misappropriated. Among the charges, it claims Murrell bought a motorhome valued at £124,550 for personal use, disguising the purchase as a legitimate party expense through falsified documents. In 2019, he is also accused of using £57,500 of SNP money towards an £81,000 Jaguar I-PACE vehicle, with further claims that a falsified invoice was produced to hide the true nature of the purchase. It is alleged that when the Jaguar was later sold, over £47,000 from the sale went directly into Murrell’s personal bank account. Additionally, £16,489 is said to have been misused as part payment for a £33,000 Volkswagen Golf bought in Edinburgh in 2016.
Beyond vehicle purchases, the indictment lists over 80 retailers where Murrell purportedly spent more than £159,000 of party funds between December 2014 and 2022 for his own or others’ personal use. These retailers include well-known names such as Harrods, the Royal Mint, John Lewis, Homebase, and Argos. The document alleges that Murrell used SNP credit or charge cards to make these purchases and inserted false or inaccurate accounting codes and descriptions into the party’s financial records. Purchases made via Amazon totaling over £81,600 are similarly mentioned. Murrell held the SNP chief executive role for 22 years and married Nicola Sturgeon in 2010; the couple announced their separation in January 2025
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