Scotland: Sturgeon's ex-husband Peter Murrell jailed for 5 years and 3 months

Scotland: Sturgeon's ex Peter Murrell jailed for 5 years June 23, 2026Former Scottish National Party (SNP) chief executive Peter Murrell was jailed for just over five years on Tuesday after admitting to embezzling just over 400,000 pounds (roughly €465,000 or $530,000 at current exchange rates) of party funds to buy items including a motorhome, cars and luxury household goods. Murrell, 61, is the now-estranged husband of former SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon, who suddenly resigned as Scotland's First Minister in 2023, a few months before she was arrested as part of the probe into the party's finances. She was cleared of wrongdoing in March last year. The couple's dual role within the SNP, with Sturgeon as its most senior politician for almost a decade and Murrell in charge of party administration, had prompted questions of propriety even before the crimes became public knowledge. What was the case about? Murrell pleaded guilty at the Edinburgh High Court last month to embezzling SNP funds beween 2010 and 2023, using the money to buy a Volkswagen and later a Jaguar, as well as items from luxury brands like Estee Lauder and Harrods and LeCreuset. Judge Andrew Young sentenced him to five years and three months in prison on Tuesday. "Your actions involved a significant breach of trust to the organization which you led, and to the individual members and donors," Young told Murrell in court. "This was a calculated crime of dishonesty. Let me make it clear to you, one factor in the sentence which I impose today will be to act as a deterrent to any senior officials in other large organizations who might be tempted to abuse their position in the way you did," the judge said. Authorities will now seek to recoup the embezzled money through proceeds of crime legal action. "In truth, it is very difficult to get a clear picture for what drove your actions,’" Young said. "Many of the high value items acquired by you were not even used." The case prompted embarrassing questions for the pro-independence party, which has dominated Scottish politics for nearly two decades. However, thanks in large part to the struggles of UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Labour, the SNP was able to rallly and remain the strongest party in elections to the Scottish parliament last month. How did Sturgeon respond to the news? While Sturgeon was cleared of any wrongdoing by police and prosecutors last year, questions have persisted over her claim that she had "no knowledge or suspicion whatsoever that he was using SNP funds for personal purposes." Small but lower-value items connected to the case — like a pendant she often wore in public and a political entertainment DVD box set of the Danish show "Borgen" that she said she liked — can seemingly be connected to Sturgeon. Her claim that she had not seen a new luxury motorhome worth more than 100,000 pounds parked on her husband's parents' driveway when they went to visit also elicited skepticism from some. Via her lawyer, Aamer Anwar, Sturgeon issued what was said to be her final statement on the matter after Tuesday's sentencing. "Whilst anonymous sources have desperately tried to insinuate guilt, it is clear following a two-year, gold-plated and robust investigation, Ms. Sturgeon was neither charged, prosecuted, nor convicted of any offense," the statement said. "Ms. Sturgeon is innocent of any crime and whilst that might be a source of annoyance for some, it remains a fact that it was Mr. Murrell who was charged, tried, convicted and imprisoned for his crimes today," it continued. The statement said the former first minister was "utterly deceived and let down by her husband whom she had trusted." The 56-year-old announced her estrangement from Murrell in early 2025. Murrell's lawyer, John Scullion, told the court that the former political operative had been ostracized by his past colleagues amid the scandal. "For many months he has lived in almost total isolation," he told the court. Edited by: Wesley Rahn Don't let the algorithm hide the news. If you rely on our team for trusted reporting, please take a moment to select us as a preferred source on Google, so you'll always see our verified news first.