Peter Murrell, the former chief executive of the Scottish National Party, was sentenced to five years and three months in prison by Edinburgh High Court on June 23, 2026, after pleading guilty to embezzling over £400,000 from party funds [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]. Murrell, 61, admitted to stealing between £400,310 and £400,316 from the SNP between 2010 and 2023, although one source notes 2022 as the end date [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6].

The money was used to buy luxury goods including a £124,550 motorhome, a Jaguar SUV, a VW Golf, expensive watches, Montblanc pens, jewellery, cosmetics, and items from brands like Estée Lauder, Harrods, Lalique, and Le Creuset [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]. Police reports show that some of these high-value items were barely used, for instance the motorhome was driven only four miles after purchase [4, 5].

Murrell concealed the theft through falsified invoices, manipulation of accounting codes, and tampering with the party’s financial records [1, 5]. The court heard Murrell’s actions represented a "significant breach of trust" to both the SNP and its members.

Judge Andrew Young told Murrell, "Your actions involved a significant breach of trust to the organization which you led, and to the individual members and donors. This was a calculated crime of dishonesty. Let me make it clear to you, one factor in the sentence which I impose today will be to act as a deterrent to any senior officials in other large organizations who might be tempted to abuse their position in the way you did." [4] The judge emphasized deterrence to others in similar positions of trust [2, 4, 5, 6].

Peter Murrell is the estranged husband of Nicola Sturgeon, who resigned as SNP leader and First Minister of Scotland in 2023 [2, 3, 4, 6]. Authorities cleared Sturgeon of any wrongdoing in the investigation of party finances in March 2025, stating she had "no knowledge or suspicion whatsoever" that funds were being misused by Murrell [2, 3, 4, 6]. Sturgeon has repeatedly maintained her innocence regarding the financial misconduct [2, 4, 6].

Murrell pleaded guilty on May 25, 2026, and was remanded in custody ahead of today’s sentencing [5].