Questions mount for Sturgeon and SNP as Murrell jailed for five years
Judge tells former party chief executive he is guilty of a ‘calculated crime of dishonesty’
Nicola Sturgeon and other senior SNP figures have been told they still have “serious questions” to answer amid mounting calls for an inquiry after her estranged husband Peter Murrell was jailed for more than five years for embezzling over £400,000 from the party.
Judge Lord Young said Murrell, the former chief executive of the SNP, had committed a “calculated crime of dishonesty”, with a “large number of fraudulent acts” over a 12-year period.
It came as it emerged the team behind Operation Branchform - the name given to the police probe into the SNP’s finances - had further questions for Ms Sturgeon even after she was interviewed by police under caution and had submitted a written statement.
The former first minister was arrested in June 2023 as part of the high-profile investigation and provided ‘no comment’ answers during her interview under caution at Falkirk police station, which her solicitor, Aamer Anwar, subsequently described as standard practice.
Ms Sturgeon then provided both Police Scotland and the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPPFS) with what she said was a “very detailed written document answering the questions that had been put to me”.
But The Scotsman understands that although the written statement she submitted answered some of the questions investigators had, there were further questions police would have liked to have asked Ms Sturgeon.
Mr Anwar said the former first minister found it “disgraceful and beyond outrageous” that she was being asked to comment on so-called “background” briefings by the police or COPFS.
He said: “Whilst anonymous sources have desperately tried to insinuate guilt, it is clear following a two-year gold-plated and robust investigation, Ms Sturgeon was neither charged, prosecuted nor convicted of any offence.
“Ms Sturgeon is innocent of any crime and whilst that might be a source of annoyance for some, it remains a fact that it was Mr Murrell who was charged, tried, convicted and imprisoned for his crimes today.
“Ms Sturgeon remains angry, hurt and distressed about the devastating impact of Mr Murrell’s actions on her, his family, friends and the SNP.”
He added: “Ms Sturgeon was utterly deceived and let down by her husband whom she had trusted. Why he acted as he did will always be beyond her comprehension. She is utterly appalled that he did so and will never understand why. There will be no further comment.”
Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay said “further doubt has now been cast” on Ms Sturgeon’s claim that she fully co-operated with the police.
He added: “Issuing increasingly hostile statements to the media in response to legitimate media reporting is not helping her case or her credibility.”
While officers considered seeking further clarification following Ms Sturgeon’s statement, they did not pursue additional questioning following direction from the COPFS.
A report submitted by Police Scotland to prosecutors in August 2024 made no recommendation for charges, instead seeking “advice and guidance” on whether there was sufficient evidence to continue inquiries into Ms Sturgeon and Colin Beattie, the then SNP treasurer.
Ms Sturgeon has consistently denied any knowledge of Murrell’s wrongdoing, and has stressed that she had no “conscious memory” of ever seeing the luxury motorhome that Murrell purchased. The £124,00 Niessman and Bischoff vehicle was parked at his mother’s then home in Dunfermline. Ms Sturgeon said it was “round the sides of the house which is not immediately visible in the way that we went into the home,” and was “between the house and the next door neighbour’s”.
Ms Sturgeon was released without charge on the same day as her police interview under caution, and was later informed in March 2025 that she would face no further action.
Former SNP MP Joanna Cherry, who was among those who resigned from the party’s ruling body in 2021 amid concerns over financial transparency, renewed her call for an inquiry.
“Murrell would not have got away with what he did for so long without the hostility to debate, transparency and scrutiny enforced by the SNP leadership and their cronies, and the harassment and intimidation of those who dared to speak up,” she wrote on X. “That is why we need an independent inquiry.”
Speaking outside the High Court in Edinburgh, Sean Clerkin, the activist who first raised a complaint with the police over the SNP’s finances, said he was “partially vindicated” by Murrell’s sentence.
He added: “We’re taking legal advice with regard to further proceedings.
“We are looking at three options. We are looking at a possible private prosecution of Nicola Sturgeon in England or Scotland, we’re looking at a class action for the victims to get compensation.
“Through a lawyer, we will be writing to the Crown Office to demand a review of the decision taken not to prosecute Nicola Sturgeon.”
Lord Young said Murrell, 61, was responsible for a “significant breach of trust” within the SNP.
But he said it was “difficult to get a clear picture” around what drove his actions given that some of the items bought by Murrell with the money were not even used.
The judge said he would have jailed Murrell for more than seven years had he not pled guilty. Sentence was backdated to May 25, when Murrell’s guilty plea was entered at court.
His lawyer John Scullion KC presented pleas in mitigation.
He told the High Court in Edinburgh: “For many months he has lived in almost total isolation.”
He said his client accepted blame and he had been “ostracised” by his former colleagues.
Mr Scullion said he had become a “figure of public ridicule” as a result of his purchases.
“His humiliation will endure beyond any sentence your lordship imposes, and may prove lifelong,” he said. “His future beyond custody is uncertain, but presently it appears bleak and solitary.”
The defence lawyer also said Murrell had sufficient funds to repay the money he embezzled. The court was told that Murrell wanted to repay the money as a way to make a start toward atoning for his crimes.
Mr Scullion said Murrell recognised the harm his actions had caused.
“In my submission, the accused is now an individual overwhelmed by feelings of embarrassment and shame,” he told Lord Young.
Confiscation hearings have been postponed until September this year.
Mr Murrell was previously granted legal aid. Asked whether this would now be paid back, a spokesperson for the Scottish Legal Aid Board said: “We cannot comment on the specifics of an individual’s grant of legal aid.
"Unlike civil legal aid, SLAB don’t have any specific powers in criminal legal aid to recover (clawback) any assets which may be released at the end of a case to offset the legal aid costs."
Last month, Murrell pleaded guilty to embezzling a total of £400,310.65 over a 12-year period between August 2010 and October 2022.
He used the funds to make hundreds of extravagant purchases, including a £124,550 motorhome, cars, jewellery, luxury homewares and designer stationery.
Scottish Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie said there are “still serious questions which remain unanswered about this appalling scandal, such as why Murrell was able to get away with stealing vast sums of money for over a decade and why no-one within the SNP had any curiosity about the state of the party’s finances”.
She added: “John Swinney and the SNP have shamelessly tried to sweep this under the carpet by stubbornly refusing to accept that a parliamentary inquiry could help get to the bottom of these issues.
“If they have nothing to hide, they have nothing to fear from an inquiry.”
Mr Findlay said: “Peter Murrell has been brought to justice for his crimes, although he could be out in just over two years due to weak SNP sentencing policies.
“But the question remains: how did he get away with this brazen and large-scale crime spree for so many years? The hard truth for Nicola Sturgeon and John Swinney is that they effectively enabled Murrell.”
An SNP spokesperson said: “While Peter Murrell’s sentencing does offer significant closure for SNP members, we are still seeking recovery of the money he embezzled to allow us to spend it on the purposes for which our dedicated donors intended.
“Under the leadership of John Swinney, the party has undergone significant reform of its governance procedures.”