Former SNP chief, Peter Murrell, has legal aid withdrawn by funding body

The Scottish Legal Aid Board (SLAB) has confirmed the party’s former chief executive, who is Nicola Sturgeon’s estranged husband, his no longer receiving their financial assistance.

The decision to support him was withdrawn on July 28 after the SLAB was in contact with Murrell’s lawyers about his personal financial circumstances.

A Proceeds of Crime Act hearing is due to take place on December 7 to determine the confiscation of funds which he embezzled from the SNP over a 12-year period while he was its chief executive.

He spent the money on catalogue of goods from a luxury motorhome to pens and robot vaccuums - hiding the spending by creating false invoices.

A spokesperson for SLAB said: “Legal aid and data protection legislation strictly limits what SLAB can disclose about individual applications.

“We can confirm the individual is no longer in receipt of legal aid.”

Murrell was granted legal aid - government-funded assistance given to those who cannot afford to pay for lawyers - last year.

Today The Scotsman newspaper reported he had been informed his support would be withdrawn in July.

The SLAB had paid out £4,831 to fund legal counsel for Murrell, but it's understood that could still rise as his lawyers could request payment for work carried out before the legal aid was withdrawn.

Murrell was first arrested in April 2023 as part of the police investigation into the SNP’s finances and was sentenced in June this year after admitting embezzling £400,310.65 while he was the party’s chief executive.

During his trial his counsel told the court that he was seeking to pay back the money embezzled as it was revealed he had more than £600,000 across two pension accounts.

Jailing Murrell for more than five years, Lord Young told him he had committed a “calculated crime of dishonesty”, with a “large number of fraudulent acts".

Commenting on the withdrawal of legal aid, Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay said: “This affluent crook, along with Scotland’s wealthy organised criminals, shouldn’t get a single penny of taxpayers’ money to pay their lawyers.”

And Scottish Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie said: “Public trust has been badly damaged by the SNP embezzlement scandal, which has not been helped by John Swinney refusing to answer important questions about how it ever took place.

“People across the country will wonder why Peter Murrell was able to qualify for legal aid in the first place, given his healthy salary as the SNP’s chief executive for so many years.

“We need transparency from the Scottish Legal Aid Board regarding the decision-making process, including why Murrell initially qualified, and what has changed for this now to have been withdrawn.

“Public confidence in our institutions relies on full transparency, and that is why I would urge them to fully explain what steps they now intend to take.”