Who is Peter Murrell?
Peter Murrell is the former SNP CEO. The 62-year-old, who is Nicola Sturgeon’s estranged husband, has been remanded into custody at the High Court in Edinburgh after pleading guilty to embezzling £400,310.65 from the political party.
Murrell admitted the charges when he appeared at the court on Monday morning.
He was charged with embezzling the funds from the party between August 2010 and October 2022.
He arrived at the High Court on Monday wearing a black suit with a black tie.
Former FM Nicola Sturgeon met former Murrell at an SNP youth camp in 1988 when she was 18 years old.
At the time she was volunteering at the constituency office of Alex Salmond in Banff and Buchan.
However, it wasn’t until 2003 that they became a couple, reportedly causing “great excitement” within the party when it became public at the 2004 SNP conference.
They were married in a private ceremony at the Òran Mór in Glasgow in 2010.
In 1999, Murrell became chief executive of the SNP and has held considerable power within the party ever since.
He has been credited with helping the party dominate Scottish politics since the SNP’s first Holyrood election win in 2007.
But his tenure, which came to an end in 2023 amid a row over membership figures, has not been without its controversies.
Ex chief executive officer of the SNP arrested in 2023
In April 2023, Murrell was arrested and “released without charge pending further investigation” in a probe into the party’s finances.
A total of 10 uniformed officers were stationed outside of the former FM's home, with curtains and blinds drawn. Police were later photographed searching the back garden of the home.
In the afternoon, six officers were filmed entering SNP HQ in Edinburgh as the force conducted searches in a "number of properties".
Police Scotland launched a formal investigation into the SNP's finances in July 2021, after receiving complaints about how donations were used.
Charge by Police Scotland in 2024
Murrell was arrested for a second time on April 18 2024 amid a police probe into SNP finances before being charged with embezzlement.
In a statement, police said a 59-year-old man had "been charged in connection with the embezzlement of funds from the Scottish National Party.
"The man, who was arrested at 9.13am today and had previously been arrested as a suspect on 5 April, 2023, was charged at 6.35pm after further questioning by Police Scotland detectives investigating the funding and finances of the party.
"A report will be sent to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service in due course.
"The man is no longer in police custody.
"The matter is active for the purposes of the Contempt of Court Act 1981 and the public are therefore advised to exercise caution if discussing it on social media".
Separation from Sturgeon
Sturgeon and her husband of 15 years separated in 2025 after he was arrested in 2023 and later charged with embezzlement, after his and Sturgeon’s home was searched by police looking into what happened to £660,000 of donations to the party.
The former SNP leader made the announcement on her Instagram in January 2025.
In a post headed "personal", Sturgeon 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.
“We will be making no further comment.”
Sturgeon spoke further on the separation during an appearance on The Assembly.
The programme sees a group of inquisitive interviewers who are autistic, neurodivergent and/or learning disabled put questions to celebrities.
After being told that “no subject is out of bounds," Sturgeon is asked first: “How does it feel to be divorced?”
After a smile, Sturgeon answered: “Well, I’m not actually divorced yet. But I’m separated from my husband –".
Another of The Assembly interrupted and asked what had happened. The former first minister laughs and shrugs, before adding: “Shit happens.”
Sturgeon was further pressed by Mikey – the interviewee – what the main reason was for the pair's separation.
She answered: “I mean, there’s been a lot of public coverage of – my husband’s been accused of crime and stuff so that is what everybody thinks it will be, and I’m not saying that that’s not a factor, because when you’re faced for something with like that it kind of blows your world, I think if I’m being honest, I think it was probably more than that.
“I’ve been this very career-focused politician all my life. And now I’m going into a phase of life where I want to find out a bit more about who I am as a person, not just as a politician.
“So, yeah. You change and I think sometimes, although the change is really hard, you will be happier because you go through that change than you would be if you had just stayed where you were.”
Murrell admits embezzling £400,000 in party funds
Former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell has pleaded guilty to embezzling more than £400,000 from the party on May 25, 2026.
Murrell arrived at Edinburgh High Court on Monday, May 25, for a hearing after being accused of embezzling the funds from the party between August 2010 and January 2023.
Murrell pleaded guilty to an amended indictment, after initially being charged with embezzling £459,000 from the SNP.
The amount was reduced to £400,310.65.
Murrell was led away in handcuffs and will be remanded in custody until sentencing on Tuesday, June 23.
