PETER Murrell is expected to offer to pay back the funds he embezzled from the SNP as part of the legal case his defence lawyers will make at his sentencing.
The former SNP chief executive admitted to embezzling more than £400,000 between 2010 and 2022.
He is due to return to the High Court in Edinburgh to face sentencing on June 23. It is understood by The Herald that his legal team will offer a plea deal on behalf of Murrell, hoping to secure a less severe sentence by offering the repayment of the embezzled sum of £400,310.65.
Asked if Murrell would offer to pay back to the SNP the full amount he pled guilty to embezzling when he appeared before the court on June 23, The Herald was told: "Yes."
One legal source told the paper: "It is quite common for the defence to offer compensation in mitigation and for the sentencing court to take it into account.
"One of the considerations is the loss to the complainer, which in this case is the SNP.
"In less serious cases the Crown can even sometimes be persuaded to drop a case if the loss is made good."
The court heard on Tuesday that Murrell's assets, which have a higher value than the total sum embezzled, had been frozen
Murrell's lawyer John Scullion KC told the court that "the value of the property restrained in terms of the petition suggests that there will be repayment of the sum embezzled in this case".
Among his assets is a £124,550 motorhome and the “sum of £613,496.04" as the “gross funds” in two Legal and General pension accounts.
Murrell’s “heritable property” is also listed to the value of £88,632 in the joint name of Peter Murrell and Nicola Sturgeon, who separated from Murrell 2024.
It emerged on Thursday that the SNP is preparing legal action to recover some of the money embezzled from the party.
The SNP’s ruling body, the National Executive Committee (NEC), held a meeting on Wednesday where a proposal put forward by First Minister John Swinney was agreed to.
Murrell's solicitor declined to comment to The Herald.
