Peter Murrell admits £400,000 SNP embezzlement

Former Scottish National Party chief executive Peter Murrell pleaded guilty to embezzling more than £400,000 from the party’s bank account between 2010 and 2022. Court evidence showed he used party funds to buy a £124,550 motorhome, luxury cars, watches, a robotic lawnmower and other personal items, often disguising the purchases with false invoices and mis‑labelled expense claims.

Murrell’s guilty plea has intensified scrutiny of former SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon, his estranged wife, who maintains she had no knowledge of the fraud and said she feels “like serving a sentence for a crime I did not commit”. Calls for a joint parliamentary inquiry into the scandal have been made by former first‑minister Lord Jack McConnell and other politicians, while SNP leader John Swinney argues the criminal case is sufficient. Sentencing is scheduled for late June.

The case has been described as “embarrassing internationally” and has raised broader questions about party finance oversight and political accountability in Scotland.