Former SNP Chief Executive Peter Murrell Sentenced to Five Years and Three Months

Peter Murrell, the former chief executive of the Scottish National Party, was sentenced to five years and three months in jail on June 22 after admitting he embezzled £400,310.65 from the party between 2010 and 2022. Judge Lord Young backdated the term to May 25, when Murrell was remanded in custody following his guilty plea.

The judge described the offense as a "calculated crime of dishonesty" and said he could not identify a clear motive or any mitigating factors.

Murrell showed no reaction as the sentence was delivered and was led away in handcuffs. Murrell used party charge cards, bank transfers and fake invoices to buy a £124,550 luxury motorhome that had been driven only four miles when seized, a £3,223 coffee machine, a £3,000 robotic lawn mower and other items including games consoles, jewellery and cosmetics.

Police Scotland began investigating the party's finances in 2021 after questions arose over £667,000 raised for a second independence referendum and uncovered the embezzlement during that inquiry.

Murrell's lawyer John Scullion KC told the court that imprisonment was the only appropriate punishment and that his client had "behaved dishonestly," taken steps to conceal the crimes and expressed remorse. Scullion added that Murrell had lived in almost total isolation after his arrest and faced a bleak future.

Nicola Sturgeon, Murrell's estranged wife and former first minister, has said she was "deceived" and had no knowledge of the wrongdoing.

Murrell will be eligible for parole after serving half the sentence. A proceeds of crime hearing is scheduled for September 14, at which prosecutors will seek recovery of the funds adjusted for inflation. The SNP separately hopes to recover £400,000 through a compensation order.