Murrell used SNP cards for £400,000 spending spree

Here is the latest breaking news from around the world: Murrell used SNP cards for £400,000 spending spree12 minutes ago Share Save Add as preferred on GoogleAngus CochraneSenior political journalist, Scotland Peter Murrell SNP embezzlement details laid out in courtFormer SNP chief executive Peter Murrell used charge cards, bank transfers and fake invoices to embezzle more than £400,000 from the party, it has been revealed. Murrell, the estranged husband of Nicola Sturgeon, used the funds to illicitly purchase goods including jewellery, cosmetics, two cars and a motorhome over a 12-year period. The 61-year-old, who served as SNP chief executive for more than 20 years, faces a lengthy jail term after pleading guilty last week.

He is due to be sentenced on 23 June. Murrell, who is currently on remand at HMP Edinburgh, was led into the city's high court in handcuffs for a hearing setting out the agreed timeline of his crimes. Former SNP chief Peter Murrell in court as details of false expenses and invoices to embezzle £400,000 revealedHow it unfolded: The SNP finances controversyThe court heard that Murrell used his SNP charge card, as well as those of two other staff members, to make purchases.

The Details

He also used direct bank transfers from the SNP account, which was primarily made up of membership fees, donations and funds left for the party in people's wills. The former SNP chief executive had direct access to the accounting system and could log purchases himself, though the court heard that the majority of such work was carried out by a staff member under his direction. Murrell was first arrested in April 2023, a few weeks after resigning as SNP chief executive following a row about membership figures.

The Glasgow home he shared with Sturgeon was searched as part of the police operation, as was the SNP headquarters in Edinburgh. Of the more than 1,000 items listed in the court indictment, the majority were not found during police raids. Officers did find a custom wooden library, a robotic lawnmower, a bathroom "vanity unit", a kitchen unit for the boiler and fitted mats at Sturgeon and Murrell's home.

Most notably, they seized a £124,550 motorhome from Murrell's mother's house in Dunfermline. The luxury Niesmann and Bischoff vehicle was ordered in October 2020, with Murrell paying a £12,500 deposit with an SNP charge card. The court heard he paid the remaining balance of £112,050 in four direct transfers from the SNP account in December 2020.

What Experts Say

The motorhome was delivered to Halbeath Industrial Estate in January 2021, with Murrell driving it the short distance to his mother's house. When it was seized by police two years later, it had only ever been driven four miles. Murrell created a false invoice for the vehicle, changing the customer address and account name.

He also edited the description of the vehicle to a van, with security and navigation systems and a television removed from the financial record. Murrell is said to have told colleagues that the motorhome could have been used for campaigning purposes.

The development has drawn wide international attention, with diplomatic circles watching closely.