Former Scottish National Party chief executive Peter Murrell pleaded guilty to embezzling over £400,000 from the political party at the High Court in Edinburgh on Monday, May 25, 2026. The 61-year-old admitted to stealing exactly £400,310.65 between August 2010 and October 2022, effectively funding a luxurious lifestyle through false invoices and party credit cards for more than a decade. Following the plea, Murrell was handcuffed in the courtroom and remanded in custody ahead of his sentencing scheduled for next month.
The high-profile financial admission comes during a turbulent era for the SNP, which has faced intense scrutiny regarding its internal operations, leadership stability, and transparency following a four-year police investigation. Current First Minister John Swinney stated he was left gutted, horrified, and betrayed by the scale of the deception, while Scottish Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie called the level of fraud inconceivable within the party infrastructure.
Court documents and investigative findings revealed that Murrell used the stolen funds to bankroll several high-end personal acquisitions, including a luxury Jaguar I-Pace valued at £81,000 and a £124,550 motorhome. The stolen cash also covered premium coffee machines, expensive video games, luxury watches, and high-value personal gifts. In one specific instance during a 2019 by-election campaign, Murrell visited Shetland Jewellery to purchase an £850 9ct gold Northern Lights pendant for his then-wife, former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, telling the shop owner that he was the man with the money.
Sturgeon, who separated from Murrell in January 2025, released a statement following the court appearance vehemently denying any knowledge of her ex-husband’s criminal activities or the fraudulent source of the luxury gifts. The extensive financial probe, conducted by Police Scotland under the code name Operation Branchform, culminated in the 119-page indictment detailing the systemic depletion of political donations intended for independence campaigns. The Scottish National Party chief executive resigned from his position in 2023 after serving 22 years in the role, and he will remain detained until a formal sentencing hearing on June 23, 2026.