Key facts
- Peter Murrell was sentenced to five years and three months in prison.
- He was convicted of embezzling over £400,000 from the Scottish National Party (SNP).
- The embezzlement occurred between August 2010 and October 2022.
- Funds were used for personal purchases including luxury watches, a coffee machine, Montblanc items, and a motorhome.
- Police Scotland began investigating the SNP's finances in March 2021.
- Murrell was arrested in April 2023.
Former Scottish National Party chief executive Peter Murrell has been sentenced to five years and three months in prison for embezzling over £400,000 of party funds. Murrell, who served as chief executive from 2001 to 2023, used the SNP's main bank account, which he controlled, to purchase a range of expensive items between August 2010 and October 2022. These purchases included two luxury watches totaling £9,350.25, a coffee machine for £3,231.90, items from Montblanc for £24,342.60, and a motorhome for £124,550. He concealed these transactions by using misleading descriptions and accounting codes in the party's financial records. Police Scotland launched an investigation in March 2021 following complaints about the mismanagement of SNP finances. Murrell was arrested in April 2023 and has been in custody since. Assistant chief constable Stuart Houston of Police Scotland stated that the sentence proves "those who flout the law, who break the trust of those around them, and who embezzle vast sums of money will not escape justice."