Nicola Sturgeon's husband Peter Murrell granted legal aid after he was charged with embezzlement
Taxpayers are set to foot the bill for former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell 's legal costs after he was charged with embezzlement.
Solicitors acting for Nicola Sturgeon 's estranged husband have had an application for legal aid approved.
Murrell, 60, was SNP CEO for over twenty years before he stood down from the post in 2023.
He was arrested later that year as part of the Operation Branchform police probe into SN P finances, but released without charge.
He was then charged in connection with embezzlement and appeared in court in March.
According to the Scottish Legal Aid Board, an application for solemn legal aid by his solicitors was granted on April 30th and no payments have been made to date.
A spokesperson for the SLAB said: 'When assessing an applicant's eligibility for legal aid we look at their financial position at the time of their application to ensure they meet tests set by legal aid legislation.
'This includes information they give us about their salary, the amount of money they have in the bank and any investments, which might be available to fund their own defence privately.
' Peter Murrell 's application met the tests we have to apply when deciding whether to grant legal aid.'
It is unclear what Murrell 's final salary was at the SNP, but the party's 2023 accounts showed his successor, Murray Foote, started on £95,000.
Foote quit last year and was replaced by Carol Beattie.
When Murrell appeared at a private petition hearing at Edinburgh Sheriff Court, he made no plea or declaration and was committed for further examination and bailed.
The Crown Office said there are no dates for a future hearing.
Labour MSP Jackie Baillie said: 'Taxpayers will be scratching their heads at why they should have to foot the bill for Peter Murrell - a man who has been charged with embezzlement. It is also particularly galling that Peter Murrell will be receiving legal aid after the SNP government has repeatedly ignored warnings about the financial pressures raised by lawyers."
Scottish Tory MSP Liam Kerr said: 'It will stick in the throats of hard-pressed Scots that they're picking up the tab for this disgraced former SNP Chief Executive, especially at a time when his party have squeezed the legal aid budget.'
Murrell and Sturgeon married in 2010 and were regarded as Scotland's most prominent political power couple.
In an Instagram post, she announced earlier this year that their marriage had ended: '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 was arrested as part of Operation Branchform in 2023 and released without charge. She is no longer a suspect.
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