The former party executive received a five-year sentence for misappropriating £400,000.
Edinburgh, June 2026. Peter Murrell, former chief executive of the Scottish National Party, has been sentenced to five years and three months in prison. The 61-year-old was convicted of misappropriating £400,000 from party funds.
Murrell, the former husband of Nicola Sturgeon, controlled the SNP’s main bank account during his leadership. Prosecutors said he used party money to purchase luxury items between August 2010 and October 2022.
The purchases included two expensive watches, Montblanc products and a coffee machine valued at more than £3,200. He also used approximately £124,550 from the party’s accounts to acquire a motorhome.
According to prosecutors, Murrell entered misleading descriptions and accounting codes into the SNP’s financial system. These records were reportedly intended to conceal the true nature of the transactions.
Police began investigating the party’s finances after receiving a complaint in March 2021. Officers searched Murrell’s home and arrested him on April 5, 2023.
Murrell served as the SNP’s chief executive from 2001 until 2023. He was found guilty on May 25, 2026, following proceedings at the High Court in Edinburgh.
Scottish police described his conduct as deliberate, calculated and a serious betrayal of public trust. Authorities stressed that prominent individuals and political officials remain accountable when they misuse positions of power.
The sentence closes a major chapter in the investigation into the finances of Scotland’s leading independence party.