Scottish ministers deny involvement in delay to Peter Murrell trial

Mr Murrell, who served as the SNP's chief executive for more than two decades, was due to appear at Glasgow's High Court on February 20, but last week the Crown Office announced the hearing will now take place in Edinburgh on May 25 - three weeks after the Holyrood election.

He is is facing a charge of embezzling £459,000 from the party over a period of more than 12 years, between August 2010 and January 2023.

The rescheduling of the hearing was raised in the Scottish Parliament today by Scottish Conservative MSP Douglas Ross, who said the date move "stinks".

In a topical question he asked "whether anyone who works for the Scottish Government, including ministers, special advisers or civil servants, was involved in discussions concerning the postponement of the trial of Peter Murrell until after the Scottish Parliament election in May."

He added: "This comes down to transparency. It absolutely stinks that an accusation first made before the 2021 Scottish Parliament election will now not come to court until after the 2026 Scottish Parliament election."

But Graeme Dey, Minister for Parliamentary Business, told MSPs: "There have been no discussions. Scheduling of trials is a matter for the independent judiciary, and the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service."

Mr Ross responded: "We have almost 20 special advisors, almost 30 Government ministers, and almost 9,000 civil servants within the Scottish Government.

"Given Graeme Dey has just given a categorical reassurance that none of these almost 10,000 individuals had any involvement or any discussion at all, can he update Parliament on how he was able to assemble that information in the last couple of days?

"And if he wasn't has he just come here to try and fob off Parliament, which is a signal from this corrupt Government and corrupt party of government?"

Mr Dey hit back: "I utterly refute the allegations within that commentary from Douglas Ross. Let me be absolutely clear - this is a live court case, and I would therefore strongly suggest we should all be cautious about our comments in relation to it.

"I reiterate - the scheduling of trials is a matter for the independent judiciary and the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service. It is a matter entirely for the judge to determine the date of preliminary hearings or trials themselves."

The police inquiry, named Operation Branchform, into SNP finances began back in 2021. Last year Peter Murrell made no plea or declaration after making an initial appearance at Edinburgh Sheriff Court.

He resigned from his SNP role in 2023 following a row over the party's declining membership numbers during the leadership race to replace his estranged wife, former SNP leader and former First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon.

A spokesperson for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service said: "Scotland’s prosecutors act independently and in the public interest in all cases.

"COPFS understand there is significant interest in this matter which is active under the Contempt of Court Act 1981.

"The provisions of this Act protect the integrity of proceedings, preserve access to justice for victims and secure the rights of people accused of crime.

"Anyone publishing items about active cases is advised to exercise caution as material must not be commentary or analysis of evidence, witnesses or accused. Contempt of Court carries penalties of up to two years in prison and/or an unlimited fine."The Lord Advocate and Solicitor General were not involved in decisions on this case."