Sturgeon Says She Felt Betrayed After Murrell’s SNP Embezzlement Plea

Former Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said she felt “deceived, misled and betrayed” by her estranged husband, Peter Murrell, after he pleaded guilty to embezzling more than £400,000 from the Scottish National Party (SNP). She spoke at Listowel Writers’ Week in County Kerry, Ireland, in her first public comments since Murrell’s conviction.

Murrell, 61, was remanded in custody after admitting to embezzling £400,310.65 from the SNP between 2010 and 2022, officials said. The money was used for personal purchases, including a motorhome, cars and luxury items, according to the account provided in the article.

Sturgeon, 55, said she had no prior knowledge of Murrell’s actions and was only learning details of the purchases through media reports. She said she understood why the public would ask how she could not have known, but described that assumption as misplaced.

She also said she had been “completely exonerated” following a two-year police investigation. Sturgeon said she cooperated with investigators and was not charged.

Murrell’s guilty plea and the missing party funds

The embezzlement covered a 12-year period, from 2010 to 2022, and involved funds taken from the pro-independence party that governed Scotland for much of that time. Murrell served as the SNP’s long-running chief executive during the years cited in court.

Sturgeon said she was still processing the disclosure that she had been married to someone she “didn’t know at all.” She described the week of Murrell’s guilty plea as one of the most difficult of her life.

Political fallout and questions over accountability

Murrell’s case has renewed scrutiny of the SNP’s internal controls and party finances, as well as of the leadership environment during Sturgeon’s time at the top of Scottish politics. Sturgeon said she wanted the public to hear her account directly and reiterated that she had not been involved in the wrongdoing.

Further developments will depend on the next steps in Murrell’s case and whether additional details from the proceedings prompt fresh political or organisational responses within the SNP.