'Angry, hurt, sad and very distressed': Nicola Sturgeon breaks silence after estranged husband admits embezzling £400k of SNP funds
The former Scottish first minister said her reaction was difficult to put into words, as officers confirmed Operation Branchform is now closed
Nicola Sturgeon has spoken of her anger and hurt following the conviction of her former husband Peter Murrell who admitted embezzling more than £400k of SNP funds.
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The former first minister broke her silence on Monday just hours after Murrell pleaded guilty in Glasgow's High Court to stealing £400,310.65 from the political party between 12 August 2010 and 13 January 2023.
Writing on social media, Ms Sturgeon said: "My reaction to the guilty plea tendered today by my former husband is difficult to put into words.
"I am angry, hurt, sad and very distressed about the impact of his actions on family, friends and the SNP.
"To be deceived and let down by a husband I loved and trusted has caused me acute pain. Why he acted as he did is, and always will be, beyond my comprehension."
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The former leader was also arrested in June 2023 as Police Scotland investigated how funds were spent by the party, dubbed Operation Branchform, but was released without charge and later cleared.
Her statement on Monday added: "To be clear: I had no knowledge or suspicion whatsoever that he was using SNP funds for personal purposes.
"I am utterly appalled that he did so and cannot begin to understand why. That I was fully cleared after a thorough investigation underlines that these are not my crimes.
"I was misled just as others were. I know that there will be political discussion in light of what has happened, and I understand why."
"However, for me this has also been a profound personal trauma. I need to remain focussed on recovering from that and building a new phase of life. I will be making no further comment."
Giving a press conference on Monday, Scottish First Minister John Swinney described the crime as a "terrible breach of trust" and a "overwhelming betrayal".
He added: "What I am thinking about, I’ve not been able to stop thinking about, is the decent people who have stood with me at coffee mornings and jumble sales, raising the money, paying their money to party headquarters.
"People who I know don’t have much money to rub together, but have paid their membership subs to keep the SNP afloat because they believe in independence."
The First Minister said he felt "absolutely the same agony" those members of the party would be feeling.
He said: "I am one of those donors to the party, and that money has been used inappropriately, so I regret that."
Assistant Chief Constable Stuart Houston told reporters outside of court on Monday that Operation Branchform is now "completed" from a policing point of view.
However, the CPS could still decide to pursue prosecutions against others previously arrested.
Mr Houston said: "This was a lengthy and extremely complex case due to the scale of criminality over a 12-year period and the lengths Peter Murrell went to try and cover his tracks.
"Peter Murrell has shown utter contempt for the high public trust placed in him as the chief executive of a political party and his position in the wider political establishment in Scotland for many years.
"He abused his privileged position with access to Scottish National Party funds to divert cash into his own accounts and bankroll the lavish lifestyle he craved but could not afford.
"From 2010 to 2022 he spent hundreds of thousands of pounds on luxury goods while carefully trying to hide his criminality with false receipts and accounting.“He must now face the consequences of his actions."
Murrell, 61, was a party chief executive for more than 20 years which saw him oversee a historic period of electoral success.
Appearing in court, Murrell's lawyer John Scullion KC read out his client plea of guilty following the amendments to the charges.
The offences are said to have been carried out between 12 August 2010 and 19 October 2022. He will be sentenced next month.
Ms Sturgeon announced that she and Murrell had "decided to end" their marriage in January last year.
Craig Hoy, Scottish Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government, told John Stratford on LBC News that there is "something stinking at the heart of the SNP and we need to get to the bottom of".
Mr Hoy said: "There are now some very big questions for the key figures at the heart of the SNP and for the SNP to answer. And this, I think is just the beginning of a process, not the end.
"I listened to John Swinney stonewalling his way through that press conference there, and I think it simply defies belief for him, see, that he believes that Nicola Sturgeon knew nothing of this."