Latest news with #PeterMurrell
Scotsman
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Scotsman
Cost to Crown Office of SNP finances probe soars, as Peter Murrell case prepared
No date has yet been set for former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell's next court appearance. Sign up to our Politics newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The cost to the Crown Office of the investigation into the SNP's finances has more than doubled in five months as prosecutors prepare their case against Peter Murrell. Mr Murrell, the former party chief executive and Nicola Sturgeon's estranged husband, was charged with embezzlement in April last year. The 60-year-old made no plea when he appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court in March and was granted bail. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Figures show the Crown Office has now spent almost £460,000 on the probe, up from £206,000 in February. The vast majority of this was staffing costs, according to a Freedom of Information request. Peter Murrell | PA A spokesman said: 'Resources are being applied to this investigation, which includes an ongoing prosecution, in line with its significance. 'The extensive resourcing of this inquiry demonstrates that it has been taken seriously and that decisions have been based upon evidence not assumptions or external pressure. Prosecutors take decisions independently, free from political influence or external interference, relying on evidence and the law." Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The Crown Office said no date had been set for Mr Murrell's next court appearance. Mr Murrell was chief executive of the SNP for more than 20 years, and is credited with helping to transform the party into an election-winning machine. He stood down in 2023 amid a row over membership numbers, just weeks before the police investigation into the SNP - known as Operation Branchform - exploded into the headlines. Ms Sturgeon announced the pair had split in January this year. 'It goes without saying that we still care deeply for each other, and always will,' she wrote in a social media post. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Scotland's former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, will launch her memoir, Frankly, at a special literary event hosted by Seamus Heaney HomePlace in Bellaghy Earlier this month, the Scottish Legal Aid Board confirmed Mr Murrell had been granted legal aid. "When assessing an applicant's eligibility for legal aid, we look at their financial position at the time of their application," a spokesperson said. "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." Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Scottish Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie said on the legal aid decision: '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. Deputy Leader Scottish Labour Jackie Baillie | Lisa Ferguson '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." Ms Sturgeon was cleared as a suspect in the police investigation earlier this year. She said there was 'never a scrap of evidence that I had done anything wrong'.
Daily Record
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Daily Record
SNP finances investigation costs double as no date set for Peter Murrell's next court appearance
The Record previously revealed how taxpayers are set to foot the bill for former SNP chief executive legal costs. The cost of the investigation into SNP finances has more than doubled in the past five months as prosecutors prepare their case against the estranged husband of Nicola Sturgeon. The Crown Office has now spent almost £460,000 - up from £206,000 in February - on the long-running probe. It comes after Peter Murrell, the former SNP chief executive, appeared in court in March charged with embezzlement. He made no plea during a private hearing and was granted bail. The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) said there was no update on when he would next appear in court. Prosecutors have been working on the case since police completed their investigation - named Operation Branchform - in August last year and handed their findings to the Crown. Murrell 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 police probe into the party's finances, but released without charge. He was then charged in connection with embezzlement in 2024 and later appeared in court. Joanna Cherry, a former SNP MP and serving KC, said: "I can't understand the delay in indicting Peter Murrell. It's way past time the detail of the charges against him were in the public domain." A spokesman for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service said: "Resources are being applied to this investigation, which includes an ongoing prosecution, in line with its significance. "The extensive resourcing of this inquiry demonstrates that it has been taken seriously and that decisions have been based upon evidence not assumptions or external pressure. "Prosecutors take decisions independently, free from political influence or external interference, relying on evidence and the law." The Record previously revealed how taxpayers are set to foot the bill for the former senior Nationalist's legal costs. Solicitors acting for Murrell, 60, have had an application for legal aid approved. According to the Scottish Legal Aid Board, an application for solemn legal aid by his solicitors was granted on April 30 and no payments have been made to date. Police previously confirmed in March that Sturgeon and former SNP treasurer Colin Beattie were no longer under investigation in the probe. At the time, Sturgeon said: "I don't think there was ever a scrap of evidence that I had done anything wrong." In January this year, the former first minister announced she and Murrell had "decided to end" their marriage.
Times
02-07-2025
- Politics
- Times
Ex-SNP chief Peter Murrell granted legal aid for embezzlement charge
Lawyers' bills accumulated by the former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell will be paid for by the taxpayer after he was granted legal aid. Murrell, who is Nicola Sturgeon's husband, faces a charge of embezzlement related to funds of the party he ran for more than 20 years. Murrell, 60, who was chief executive of the SNP between 2001 and 2023 and at points took home a six-figure salary, has had an application for solemn legal aid approved by the Scottish Legal Aid Board. He was first arrested in April 2023 as part of the long-running police investigation Operation Branchform into the SNP's finances. He appeared at Edinburgh sheriff court in March this year, where he faced a charge of embezzlement. He made no plea and was granted bail.
Telegraph
02-07-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Sturgeon's husband granted legal aid in SNP embezzlement case
Nicola Sturgeon's estranged husband can have his legal costs funded by the Scottish taxpayer, it has emerged. Peter Murrell, the former SNP chief executive who faces a charge of embezzlement, has had an application for legal aid approved by the Scottish Legal Aid Board. Liam Kerr MSP, the Scottish Conservative shadow justice secretary, said: 'It will stick in the throats of hard-pressed Scots that they're picking up the tab... especially at a time when his party have squeezed the legal aid budget.' Jackie Baillie, the Scottish Labour deputy leader, said: 'Taxpayers will be scratching their heads at why they should have to foot the bill for Peter Murrell.' Mr Murrell, 60, was first arrested in April 2023 as part of the police investigation into the SNP's finances. He appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court in March where he faced a charge of embezzlement, making no plea. Until he stood down in 2023 during the leadership race to succeed Ms Sturgeon, Mr Murrell had been the chief executive of the SNP for more than 20 years. No payments made so far The Scottish Legal Aid Board said no payments have been made so far following a successful application for solemn legal aid by Mr Murrell's lawyers on April 30. Legal aid is usually granted to those who cannot afford to pay for legal help themselves, though in some cases they still need to make their own contribution. Mr Murrell was reportedly on an annual salary of almost £80,000 as the chief executive of the SNP from 1999 to 2023. He quit after his head of communications claimed he had been given inflated membership numbers by party headquarters. Mr Murrell was later arrested as part of a police investigation into the SNP's finances that centred around £600,000 of funding the SNP pledged to spend on independence campaigning. In April last year, Police Scotland said Mr Murrell had been charged 'in connection with the embezzlement of funds from the Scottish National Party'. 'Application met tests we have to apply' A spokesman for the Scottish Legal Aid Board 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.' Earlier this year, Ms Sturgeon announced she and Mr Murrell had 'decided to end' their marriage. In a social media post, Ms Sturgeon said the pair had been separated for some time and said the decision to end the marriage had been made 'with a heavy heart'.
The Herald Scotland
02-07-2025
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
Legal aid for Murrell could end if SNP repays loan
According to the Electoral Commission's finance database, the party still owes Mr Murrell £60,000 from a loan payment of £107,620 'to assist with cashflow' in June 2021. READ MORE Mr Murrell was first arrested in April 2023 as part of the police investigation into the SNP's finances. He appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court in March this year, where he faced a charge of embezzlement, making no plea. Until he stood down in 2023 during the leadership race to succeed his now estranged wife, Nicola Sturgeon, he had been chief executive of the SNP for more than 20 years. SLAB said no payments have been made so far, following a successful application for solemn legal aid by Mr Murrell's lawyers on April 30. A spokesperson said that when assessing someone's eligibility for legal aid, they consider the applicant's financial position at the time of the application, including salary, bank balance and any investments. 'Peter Murrell's application met the tests we have to apply when deciding whether to grant legal aid,' they said. SLAB's guidance indicates that debts owed to an applicant may be counted as capital, particularly if the money is recoverable. However, the board has discretion to disregard these assets if they are deemed 'trapped' or not readily accessible. Mr Murrell and Ms Sturgeon are to divorce (Image: Newsquest) The Herald asked SLAB whether the £60,000 owed by the SNP was factored into Mr Murrell's assessment, and whether that sum could be clawed back by the legal aid board if repaid in future. SLAB was also asked whether the SNP's status as both debtor and alleged victim of embezzlement had any impact on its decision-making. A spokesperson said: 'We cannot comment on the specifics of an individual's application for legal aid. 'Any grant of legal aid is made on the condition that we must be advised of any change of financial circumstances during the lifetime of a case. 'If any material change means the client is no longer eligible to continue to receive legal aid, we will terminate the grant.' Scottish Conservative shadow justice secretary Liam Kerr said: 'The public will be rightly outraged if the SNP's failure to repay their £60,000 debt to Peter Murrell is the reason why Scottish taxpayers are picking up the tab for his legal costs. 'The SNP should have severed all ties with their disgraced former chief executive years ago. They must explain why they have still not repaid this loan, given it now appears to be directly hitting hardworking Scots in the pocket.' The SNP has been approached for comment.
