Who is Nicola Sturgeon and did she know about her husband's embezzlement?
Scottish National Party apologises to members after Peter Murell, former chief executive and ex husband of Nicola Sturgeon, found guilty of embezzlement
Nicola Sturgeon’s estranged husband Peter Murrell has been admitted embezzling more than £400,000 from the Scottish National Party, which he was chief executive of.
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Murrell separated from the former SNP leader Ms Sturgeon last year, having been charged in 2024, the same year that he left the party.
The 61-year-old pleaded guilty at the High Court in Edinburgh this week and is now in custody having used party funds to buy items including jewellery, two cars and a motorhome.
Murrell will be sentenced next month and could face a period behind bars.
SNP leader John Swinney, who succeeded Ms Sturgeon’s replacement Humza Yousaf as party leader and first minister in 2024, has apologised to party members.
Assistant Chief Constable Stuart Houston said: “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.”
Who are Nicola Sturgeon and Peter Murrell?
Nicola Sturgeon is the former first minister of Scotland and leader of the SNP, positions she held from 2014 to 2023 - starting shortly after the Scottish Independence Referendum.
The 55-year-old, who is from Irvine, Ayrshire, became the SNP’s deputy leader back in 2004, holding the role for a decade before the resignation of her mentor Alex Salmond.
She was also a long-time MSP (member of Scottish Parliament) from the late 90s to earlier this year.
Ms Sturgeon met Peter Murrell, who is six years older, in 1988 at an SNP youth event, when she was 18. They began a relationship in 2003 and married in 2010.
They do not have any children. Murrell, who was never in elected office, had been the long-time SNP chief executive and in charge of its day-to -day running from 1999 until 2023.
When did Nicola Sturgeon separate from her husband?
Ms Sturgeon split from Murrell on the back of Operation Branchform, which led to his arrest.
She is said to be in the process of divorcing her husband and separating from him sometime in 2024, which was something she announced on Instagram in January 2025.
She wrote: "With a heavy heart I am confirming that Peter and I have decided to end our marriage."
"To all intents and purposes we have been separated for some time now and feel it is time to bring others up to speed with where we are.
"It goes without saying that we still care deeply for each other, and always will.”
Did Nicola Sturgeon know about Peter Murrell’s crimes?
The former SNP leader has said that she did not know that her estranged husband had embezzled the money.
She was investigated as part of Operation Branchform, which led to Murrell being arrested, but no action was taken against her.
Ms Sturgeon said: "In respect of any items I was aware of Peter having purchased, I had no reason to doubt that he had used his own money.
“We were both earning high salaries and, due to the responsibilities of my job, rarely socialised or went on holidays. “We had separate bank accounts and I had no access to his financial records.”
She also said in her statement that she was unaware that he had bought many of the items on the list.
What did Peter Murrell buy?
There were 125 pages of items seen in court that Murrell bought, and this is from a £124,550 motorhome down to hand cream costing £2.50. Some of the items included:
- Video games, worth £1,500,
- A fountain pen worth £4,225,
- A coffee machine worth £3,231,
- A tea set worth £3,192,
- DVDs of the Danish television series Borgen,
- A Volkswagen Golf and a Jaguar I-PACE car,
- Coins and precious metals,
- Umbrellas
What sentence could Peter Murrell get?
While there are no formal guidelines for embezzlement cases in Scotland, precedent states that for £100,000 or more there will be a custodial sentence.
In a recent case, an Edinburgh office manager who embezzled £900,000 was given a three year sentence.
There could also be an order to recover the money that he spent, although the Crown will not seek to confiscate property or assets.
Murrell will be sentenced next month.