Quick Read
- Peter Murrell, former SNP chief executive, is accused of embezzling £459,046.49 from party funds.
- The alleged embezzlement occurred over 12 years, from August 2010 to January 2023.
- Charges include using party funds to buy a £124,550 motorhome, two cars, and over £240,000 in luxury goods and online purchases.
- Murrell is accused of creating false documents and invoices to disguise the personal nature of these expenses.
- He is scheduled to appear at the High Court in Glasgow on February 20, 2026, for a preliminary hearing.
GLASGOW (Azat TV) – Peter Murrell, the former chief executive of the Scottish National Party (SNP) and estranged husband of former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, is facing an indictment for allegedly embezzling nearly £460,000 from party funds. The charges, spanning a period of over 12 years, have emerged ahead of his preliminary hearing scheduled for Friday, February 20, 2026, at the High Court in Glasgow, marking a critical juncture in the long-running police investigation known as Operation Branchform.
Murrell, who served at the helm of the SNP for over two decades, is accused of illicitly using party money for personal purchases, including a luxury motorhome, two cars, high-end goods, and various other items. His appearance in court next week is expected to see him enter a plea to the charges, which underscore significant scrutiny over the financial management of the party he helped lead to unprecedented political dominance in Scotland.
Peter Murrell Faces Eight Embezzlement Charges
Court documents reveal eight specific charges against Peter Murrell, alleging the embezzlement of £459,046.49 from SNP funds between August 12, 2010, and January 13, 2023. This period covers much of the SNP’s time in power in the Scottish government, including the lead-up to the 2014 independence referendum, which Murrell helped to mastermind alongside his then-wife, Nicola Sturgeon, and former leader Alex Salmond.
Among the most prominent allegations is the purchase of a £124,550 Niesmann and Bischoff Smove 7.4e motorhome. Prosecutors claim Murrell used an SNP credit card for an initial payment in October 2020, followed by a £112,050 transfer from an SNP bank account in December of the same year. He is further accused of creating “false duplicate sales documentation” to disguise the purchase as a legitimate party expense by altering or removing true details before submitting them to the SNP for accounting purposes, according to The Times.
The indictment also details other alleged misappropriations, including £16,489 of SNP money towards a £33,000 Volkswagen Golf purchased in 2016, and £57,500 towards an £81,000 Jaguar I-Pace in 2019. For the Jaguar, Murrell is alleged to have created a “false invoice” to mislead party accountants. When the Jaguar was later sold in August 2021, £47,378.76 was reportedly paid into Murrell’s personal bank account.
Further charges detail alleged spending of over £81,600 through online retailer Amazon and more than £159,000 at over 80 other retailers, including Harrods, the Royal Mint, and John Lewis, between December 2014 and 2022. These purchases, ranging from luxury goods, jewellery, and cosmetics to items from Homebase and Argos, were allegedly made using SNP credit or charge cards. The indictment claims ‘false or inaccurate accounting codes and descriptions’ were used to conceal the true nature of these expenditures, which were purportedly for Murrell’s personal use or the personal use of others, as reported by BBC News.
Operation Branchform and Key Developments
The extensive police investigation, dubbed Operation Branchform, was initiated in 2021 following complaints from party members regarding the whereabouts of over £600,000 in funds raised for an independence referendum campaign that ultimately did not take place. The party had pledged to ringfence these funds, but their absence from party accounts raised concerns.
Murrell was initially arrested in April 2023, just weeks after Nicola Sturgeon resigned as First Minister and party leader. Police subsequently searched their marital home in Uddingston, as well as the SNP’s headquarters in Edinburgh, and confiscated the luxury motorhome from near Murrell’s mother’s home in Dunfermline. He was released without charge at that time, but was re-arrested and formally charged with embezzlement in April 2024, according to The National. Sturgeon herself was arrested in June 2023 but was later released without charge, and police have since confirmed she is no longer under investigation. She has consistently denied any wrongdoing.
Murrell served as the SNP’s chief executive from 2001 until his resignation in March 2023, a month after Sturgeon stepped down. His tenure saw the party grow from a minority presence to the dominant political force in Scotland, including significant electoral victories and the push for the 2014 independence referendum. His resignation came amid controversy over misleading public statements about party membership figures.
The Long-Term Impact on the Scottish National Party
The unfolding legal proceedings against Peter Murrell represent a significant challenge to the integrity and public image of the Scottish National Party. As a figure who played a foundational role in the party’s administration and strategic growth for over two decades, the allegations of long-term financial impropriety strike at the heart of the party’s operational credibility.
The upcoming court appearance and the details contained in the indictment highlight the severe implications of these charges, not only for Murrell personally but also for the SNP’s reputation and its efforts to maintain public trust in Scotland’s political landscape.