Scotland: Former SNP chief executive admits embezzling funds

Peter Murrell, the estranged husband of formerScottish leader Nicola Sturgeon, on Monday, pleaded guilty to embezzling more than £400,000 ($540,000 or €464,000) from the Scottish National Party.

Murrell was appointed as the Scottish National Party's (SNP) chief executive in 2001 and remained in the position until 2023, when his arrest shocked the UK.

He was arrested as part of a police investigation into whether about £600,000 of donations for the SNP to campaign for Scottish independence may have been used for other purposes.

Sturgeon was herself arrested too but cleared of any wrongdoing. 

She announced her divorce from Murrell in January 2025. 

Murrell appears in Edinburgh High Court

Murrell, who is 61 years old, pleaded guilty at the High Court in Edinburgh and has been remanded in custody.

He will appear in court again on June 2, when full details of his crimes will be disclosed in court. Murrell will be sentenced on June 23.

He originally faced an embezzlement charge amounting to £459,000 but pleaded guilt to reduced charges in court.

Murrell admitted he used the money to buy a motorhome, two cars and luxury goods. 

"By embezzling from the SNP, Peter Murrell was stealing the hopes, the dreams and the aspirations of thousands of people all over Scotland, people who gave what they could over many years in the hope that it would help contribute to a better country," SNP leader John Swinney said at a press conference. "I am horrified, I am betrayed." 

Murrell's plea caps a five-year police investigation and a tumultuous period for Scotland’s dominant party and the former power couple once at its helm. 

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Edited by: Dmytro Hubenko