Former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell pleads guilty to embezzling £400k from the party

Former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell has admitted embezzling £400,310.65 from the party.

Murrell, the estranged husband of former first minister Nicola Sturgeon, pleaded guilty at the High Court in Edinburgh on Monday.

Judge Lord Young told the once political party kingpin: "Your actions involve a gross breach of trust."

The 61-year-old was handcuffed in the dock and remanded in custody ahead of his sentencing on 23 June.

However, a full narrative of the facts will be heard in court when the case calls again ahead of that on 2 June.

Murrell was first arrested in April 2023 as part of Operation Branchform - a Police Scotland probe into the funding and finances of the SNP - and was charged with embezzlement one year later.

Murrell's offences were carried out between August 2010 and October 2022.

Murrell, who had been SNP chief executive for more than 20 years, resigned in March 2023 amid a row over party membership numbers.

Ms Sturgeon and ex-party treasurer MSP Colin Beattie were also arrested as part of Operation Branchform, but both were later cleared of any wrongdoing by Police Scotland.

In January 2025, Ms Sturgeon announced she had split from Murrell.

The pair, who first met via the SNP in 1988 and became a couple in 2003, married in 2010.

Ms Sturgeon announced the separation in a post on Instagram, revealing they had been "separated for some time now" but "still care deeply for each other, and always will".

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.

Please refresh the page for the fullest version.

You can receive breaking news alerts on a smartphone or tablet via the Sky News app. You can also follow us on WhatsApp and subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with the latest news.