Peter Murrell, the estranged husband of former Scottish leader Nicola Sturgeon, pleaded guilty on Monday to embezzling more than £400,000 ($540,000 or €464,000) from the Scottish National Party.
Murrell was appointed chief executive of the Scottish National Party (SNP) in 2001 and remained in office until 2023, when his arrest shocked Britain.
He was arrested as part of a police investigation into whether almost £600,000 donated to the SNP to campaign for Scottish independence may have been used for other purposes.
Sturgeon herself was arrested but cleared of any wrongdoing.
She announced her divorce from Murrell in January 2025.
Murrell appears at Edinburgh High Court
Murrell, who is 61, pleaded guilty at the High Court in Edinburgh and has been remanded in custody.
He will appear in court again on June 2, when full details of his crimes will be told to the court. Murrell will be sentenced on June 23.
He was originally accused of embezzling the sum of £459,000, but pleaded guilty to reducing the charges in court.
Murrell admitted that he used the money to buy a motorhome, two cars and luxury goods.
SNP leader John Swinney told a press conference, “By embezzling from the SNP, Peter Murrell was stealing the hopes, dreams and aspirations of thousands of people across Scotland, people who have given their best for many years in the hope that this will help contribute to a better country.” “I am terrified, I have been betrayed.”
Murrell’s plea caps a five-year police investigation and a tumultuous period for Scotland’s dominant party and the former powerful couple who were once at their helm.
Edited by: Dmytro Lyubenko