£400k Misappropriated From SNP Funds, Police Say

Peter Murrell pleaded guilty last week to misappropriating more than £400,000 from the Scottish National Party while serving as its chief executive.

Nicola Sturgeon, who led the SNP from 2014 until her resignation as first minister in February 2023, told the BBC she had “no knowledge or suspicion whatsoever” of Murrell’s activities. She said she was subjected to a two-year police investigation and was exonerated.

“I absolutely didn’t know that he was committing crimes, and because of his actions, I was subjected to a two-year police investigation. I was exonerated,” Sturgeon stated.

Sturgeon said she felt betrayed by Murrell’s actions and described carrying a “degree of trauma” from the ordeal. “What he has done to me, I think, will take me a very, very long time to recover from,” she said. She rejected blame for the embezzlement, stating: “I am not responsible for the crimes that my former husband committed. I’m not going to apologize for somebody else’s crimes.”

Sturgeon acknowledged that allowing Murrell to remain chief executive after she became party leader in 2014 was a mistake. “Of course, with hindsight, I wish that I could go back and take a different decision,” she said.

A five-year police investigation into the SNP’s finances preceded Murrell’s plea. Sturgeon was arrested in June 2023 and later cleared. Murrell resigned as chief executive the month after Sturgeon stepped down and accepted responsibility for misleading the media about the drop in membership numbers.

SNP leader John Swinney publicly apologized to donors whose contributions were spent on luxury items. “I am sorry to the people who are affected. I’m quite happy to say that,” Swinney said.

The SNP has led Scotland’s semiautonomous government for almost two decades. Turmoil within the SNP erupted in 2023 over questions about party finances and membership numbers.