Sturgeon says she was deceived, betrayed and lied to over Murrell embezzlement

A significant story is unfolding on the international scene. Sturgeon says she was deceived, betrayed and lied to over Murrell embezzlement6 minutes ago Share Save Add as preferred on GoogleSimon Smith , Scotland News, in Listowel, County KerryandJames Delaney , Scotland NewsPA MediaNicola Sturgeon made her first public appearance since Murrell's guilty plea at a literary festival in IrelandNicola Sturgeon has said she is "coming to terms with being married to someone she did not know" in her first public appearance since estranged husband Peter Murrell admitted embezzling money from the SNP. The former first minister told an audience at a book festival in Ireland she had been "deceived, betrayed and lied to" by the party's former chief executive. Murrell pleaded guilty to the embezzlement of £400,310.

65 from the SNP between 12 August 2010 and 19 October 2022 at the High Court in Edinburgh on Monday. Sturgeon has consistently denied any knowledge of Murrell's crimes and was was not charged after a police investigation. Murrell used the funds to purchase items including luxury goods, jewellery, cosmetics, two cars and a motorhome.

The Details

He was remanded in custody following the plea and could face a lengthy prison term when he is sentenced on 23 June. An examination of facts surrounding the case is due to be heard on 2 June. Swinney rejects call for Holyrood inquiry into MurrellOperation Branchform: Timeline of SNP finance probeSturgeon appeared at the event at the Listowel Arms Hotel in County Kerry in conversation with author Andrew O'Hagan to promote her memoir, Frankly.

She told the audience it had been the "worst week of her life," adding she had dealt with the fallout from Murrell's plea in the public gaze. She previously described the day she was arrested as part of Operation Branchform - the name of the Police Scotland investigation into SNP finances - as the "worst day of her life". Sturgeon was questioned by police as part of the probe, but was released without charge.

She was told last year that she was no longer under investigation. Sturgeon said: "This is not a private thing. I've been subject over the past two years to police investigation.

What Experts Say

"At the end I was cleared, but people point the finger at me for someone else's crimes. "PA MediaThe former SNP leader was questioned by detectives as part of the police investigation which led to the arrest of her husband Peter MurrellAmong Murrell's purchases were an array of kitchen and homeware, including numerous Le Creuset mugs and dishes and several coffee machines. Sturgeon said she "had not spent much time" in the kitchen of the home the couple previously shared in Uddingston.

She added that she had not questioned where the goods had come from and assumed they could be afforded as both she and Murrell were high earners. Sturgeon said she wanted to tell her side of the story, but would wait until the legal process was at an end to do so. She said: "I'm not ok, but I will be ok.

The story has become one of the most prominent items on the global agenda.