Estranged husband of former Scottish leader pleads guilty to embezzlement from party

Former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell, centre arrives at Edinburgh High Court, in Edinburgh, Scotland, Monday May 25, 2026. ( Jane Barlow/PA via AP)

LONDON — The estranged husband of former Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon pleaded guilty on Monday to embezzling more than 400,000 pounds (US$540,000) from the Scottish National Party to fund a lavish lifestyle when he was its chief executive.

Peter Murrell, 61, who was remanded into custody in the High Court in Edinburgh after his plea, admitted using party funds to buy a high-priced motorhome, two cars, including a Jaguar, and luxury goods, including Bremont watches and household items that included two toilet seats.

“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 told a press conference. “I am horrified, I am betrayed.”

Swinney and Sturgeon both distanced themselves from the taint of Murrell’s crimes and said they had been unaware of the theft.

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.

Following big elections gains for the SNP in 2021, signs of internal turmoil exploded less than two years later as questions swirled about the party’s finances and dwindling membership numbers.

Sturgeon, who dominated Scottish politics for almost a decade, abruptly resigned as first minister of Scotland’s semi-autonomous government in February 2023 after serving more than eight years in the role. Observers were bewildered by her announcement that she knew in her “head and in my heart” that it was the right time to go.

The following month, Murrell quit his job after two decades as party executive. He took responsibility for misleading the news media about the collapsing membership of the party. Three weeks later he was arrested by police at the couple’s home in Glasgow.

Case casts a cloud over SNP

Police officers spent two days searching the house. They also searched SNP headquarters in Edinburgh and confiscated a luxury motorhome parked in the driveway at Murrell’s mother’s home north of the capital.

Assistant Chief Constable Stuart Houston said the investigation, which cost 2 million pounds ($2.7 million) in public funds, was lengthy and complex because Murrell covered his tracks over a 12-year period by making false entries in the SNP’s accounts.

“Peter Murrell has shown utter contempt for the high public trust placed in him,” Houston said. “He abused his privileged position with access to Scottish National Party funds to divert cash into his own accounts and bankroll the lavish lifestyle he craved but could not afford.”

Sentencing was scheduled for June 23.

Police Scotland’s investigation into how the SNP spent more than 600,000 pounds ($810,000) designated for a Scottish independence campaign cast a cloud over the party, Sturgeon and her legacy.

Sturgeon and former party treasurer Colin Beattie were also arrested and questioned. Sturgeon said at the time: “I know beyond doubt that I am, in fact, innocent of any wrongdoing.”

Police announced in March 2025 that Sturgeon and Beattie were cleared.

Sturgeon said Monday that she never had knowledge of or suspected Murrell was siphoning funds from the party. She said she was “utterly appalled,” and “angry, hurt, sad and very distressed about the impact of his actions on family, friends and the SNP.”

“To be deceived and let down by a husband I loved and trusted has caused me acute pain,” Sturgeon said on Instagram. “Why he acted as he did is, and always will be, beyond my comprehension.”

When the lists of some of the items Murrell was alleged to have purchased were later published, including an expensive coffee maker and DVDS of the Danish political drama “Borgen” -- which Sturgeon had told reporters she liked -- she issued a statement saying she was unaware that the goods had been bought with party funds.

`Close ranks and shut down scrutiny’

Sturgeon led her party to dominance in Scottish politics and refashioned the SNP from a largely one-issue party into a dominant governing force with liberal social positions. She guided her party during three U.K.-wide elections and two Scottish elections, and led Scotland through the coronavirus pandemic, winning praise for her clear, measured communication style.

But Sturgeon left office amid divisions in the SNP without meeting her main goal -- independence from the United Kingdom for the nation of 5.5 million people.

Sturgeon announced last year that she and Murrell were divorcing after about 15 years of marriage.

Scottish Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie said it was “inconceivable” Sturgeon knew nothing about what her husband was doing as she called on Swinney, the first minister, to explain what the party knew about the crime.

“It was Nicola Sturgeon and the SNP party machine that attempted to close ranks and shut down scrutiny when questions about the finances started to emerge, and we need to know why,” Baillie said.

Brian Melley, The Associated Press