The Scottish National Party (SNP) has found itself at the center of one of the most significant financial scandals in its history, as former chief executive Peter Murrell faces a sweeping array of embezzlement charges. The allegations, which span more than a decade, have sent shockwaves through Scotland’s political landscape and raised uncomfortable questions about party finances, oversight, and internal controls.
According to documents seen by BBC News, Murrell is accused of embezzling a staggering £459,046.49 from SNP coffers between August 2010 and January 2023. The charges, detailed across multiple indictments and widely reported by outlets including The Scottish Sun and the Daily Mail, allege a pattern of illicit spending on luxury goods, high-end vehicles, jewelry, cosmetics, and even a motorhome. Murrell, who served as the party’s chief executive for over 22 years, is also the estranged husband of former first minister Nicola Sturgeon. Their separation, announced in January 2025, came after 15 years of marriage and amid mounting scrutiny over the party’s finances.
The scale and specificity of the accusations are remarkable. Prosecutors allege that Murrell used party funds to buy a £124,550 motorhome from a dealer in Staffordshire, England, in October 2020. The indictment claims that he paid £12,500 with an SNP credit card and a further £112,050 from an SNP bank account. The motorhome was reportedly delivered to Dunfermline and stored at his parents’ property. But that’s not all: the prosecution contends that Murrell created false documentation to make the purchase appear as a legitimate party expense, altering or removing details to disguise its true purpose.
Vehicles feature prominently in the list of alleged misappropriations. Murrell is accused of using £57,500 of SNP money toward the purchase of an £81,000 Jaguar I-PACE electric car in 2019. To conceal the nature of the transaction, he allegedly created a false invoice, leading to “false or inaccurate” information being recorded in the party’s accounting system. The car was later sold in August 2021 to We Buy Any Car in Glasgow, with £47,378.76 paid directly into Murrell’s personal bank account, according to the court papers. Another charge states that he used £16,489 of party funds toward a £33,000 Volkswagen Golf in 2016, with similar attempts to mask the true nature of the expenditure.
But the alleged spending spree did not stop at vehicles. The indictment lists more than 80 retailers, including Harrods, the Royal Mint, John Lewis, Homebase, and Argos, where Murrell is said to have made purchases totaling more than £159,000 between December 2014 and 2022. These items were reportedly for “personal use or the personal use of others,” all charged to SNP credit or charge cards. The prosecution claims that Murrell inserted false or inaccurate accounting codes and descriptions for these purchases into the party’s financial systems to further obscure their real purpose. Additionally, he allegedly spent over £81,600 through Amazon in a similar manner, again disguising the transactions in party records.
The charges also include claims that Murrell submitted £18,408.91 in expenses to which he was not entitled, backed by what are described as false invoices. All told, prosecutors have brought eight separate charges against Murrell, painting a picture of systematic abuse of party resources over a period that coincided with some of the SNP’s most pivotal years in government and during the 2014 independence referendum campaign.
The case against Murrell is the culmination of a lengthy police investigation, codenamed Operation Branchform, which began in 2021 after concerns were raised about the fate of more than £600,000 donated by the public for a second independence referendum campaign. In April 2023, Murrell was first arrested as part of the inquiry, and police searched both his and Sturgeon’s Uddingston home as well as SNP headquarters. He was initially released without charge, but a year later, in April 2024, was re-arrested and formally charged with embezzlement.
Murrell made no plea during his initial appearance at Edinburgh Sheriff Court last year and was granted bail. He is now scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing at the High Court in Glasgow on Friday, February 20, 2026, where he is expected to enter a plea. According to BBC News, the indictment papers remain subject to change until the accused appears in court, and could be amended throughout the judicial process.
While Murrell’s case has dominated headlines, it has also cast a long shadow over the SNP’s leadership and legacy. Murrell resigned as chief executive in March 2023, just one month after Nicola Sturgeon stepped down as party leader and first minister. Sturgeon herself was questioned by detectives during the investigation but, as reported by BBC News, police have since confirmed she is no longer under investigation. In March 2025, both Sturgeon and former SNP treasurer Colin Beattie were cleared of any wrongdoing after the probe concluded.
The political implications have been profound. The SNP was in government throughout the period covered by the allegations, and the party’s internal controls and financial oversight have come under intense scrutiny. Critics have pointed to the need for greater transparency and accountability in party finances, especially given the scale of the alleged misappropriations and the high-profile nature of the individuals involved.
Supporters of the SNP, meanwhile, have expressed shock and disappointment, but many insist that the actions of one individual should not tarnish the party’s broader record or its commitment to Scottish independence. Some party members have argued that the investigation, while damaging, presents an opportunity to strengthen governance and restore public trust.
The wider political context is impossible to ignore. The allegations surfaced during a period of leadership transition for the SNP, with both Murrell and Sturgeon stepping down amid mounting pressure. The party’s dominance in Scottish politics, and its central role in the independence movement, have made the story all the more explosive. As The Scottish Sun put it, the charges against Murrell “cover a period from August 12, 2010 to January 13, 2023, a total of 12 years and five months.”
As the preliminary hearing approaches, the eyes of Scotland—and indeed the UK—will be firmly fixed on the High Court in Glasgow. The outcome of the case could have lasting repercussions not just for Peter Murrell, but for the SNP and Scottish politics more broadly. With the party’s reputation at stake, and public confidence in political institutions already under strain, the proceedings promise to be closely watched and hotly debated.
For now, Murrell remains on bail, facing a litany of serious charges and the prospect of a high-profile trial. The SNP, meanwhile, is left to grapple with the fallout from a scandal that has shaken its foundations and raised urgent questions about how one of Scotland’s most powerful political organizations managed its affairs for more than a decade.
The coming months will reveal whether the party can recover from this crisis—and whether justice, in the eyes of the Scottish public, will be seen to be done.