Peter Murrell appeared at the High Court in Edinburgh in handcuffs after pleading guilty to embezzling more than £400,000 from SNP party funds which he used to make lavish purchases
Images showcasing the interior of a £124,000 luxury motorhome bought by former SNP leader Peter Murrell have been unveiled. The ex-party chief executive was seen at the High Court in Edinburgh today in handcuffs, having admitted to embezzling over £400,000 from party funds.
Advocate depute Alan Cameron KC detailed how Nicola Sturgeon’s estranged husband utilised SNP money to sustain an extravagant lifestyle for more than ten years in a 30-minute “narrative” of the case.
The funds in that account were primarily sourced from “membership fees and donations paid by party members and other donors and legacies”.
The Crown Office disclosed images of the motorhome, equipped with Molton Brown toiletries. When police confiscated the vehicle from his mother’s house, the odometer indicated it had only travelled four miles.
Mr Cameron stated it was referred to as a “van rather than a motorhome” when the invoice was submitted, adding: “It was never used or seen by any other party member or employee.”, reports the Mirror.
The court also learned that a £3,000 robotic lawnmower was only discovered when police searched his house.
“This item was misdescribed in the accounting software as spending on legal fees, and was found at his home when it was searched by police,” he said.
Over £42,000 was spent on 383 items from Amazon, which were not for party purposes and mostly delivered to his home address or SNP HQ, Mr Cameron said.
Murrell doctored accounting records and fabricated bogus invoices in an attempt to conceal his misconduct as he accumulated purchases. A catalogue released when he entered his plea featured two Bremont watches totalling £9,350, two Montblanc Boheme Noir fountain pens for £1,407 and a £3,500 Hamilton and Inches silver wine coaster.
Court papers reveal he concocted a fraudulent invoice for £57,500 to purchase a £81,277 Jaguar I-Pace, which he subsequently sold for £47,378. He diverted £16,489 of SNP funds towards a £32,989 Volkswagen Golf.
He also made more modest acquisitions, including £2.50 Neutrogena hand cream, staples for £4 and Chinese takeaway curry sauce paste for £12. He also splashed out on a £67 toilet seat.
Murrell’s guilty plea has prompted fierce examination of Ms Sturgeon, who refutes any awareness of his offences. The former Scottish First Minister declared at the weekend she was “serving a sentence for a crime I didn’t commit”.
Speaking to the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme, she said: “I am not responsible for the crimes that my former husband committed and I’m not going to apologise for somebody else’s crimes.”
Ms Sturgeon was detained and questioned as part of the police probe into the SNP’s finances, dubbed Operation Branchform, but Police Scotland confirmed she would face no action.
There have also been demands for an independent inquiry into the SNP’s finances. Murrell turned up in court donned in a dark blue suit and black tie, and acknowledged his lawyer John Scullion KC with a nod as he was escorted to the dock.
He has been held on remand pending sentencing on June 23.