LONDON — Nicola Sturgeon rejected any blame for her estranged husband Peter Murrell’s embezzlement of Scottish National Party funds during a BBC interview in London. Murrell pleaded guilty to stealing more than 400,000 pounds ($540,000) from the SNP to fund a lavish lifestyle while serving as the party’s chief executive.
Sturgeon consistently denied having any knowledge of Murrell’s crimes and told the BBC that she felt betrayed by his actions. “I am not responsible for the crimes that my former husband committed.” she said. “I’m not going to apologize for somebody else’s crimes.”
Murrell’s guilty plea concluded a five-year police investigation into the SNP’s finances. He was arrested in April 2023 at the couple’s home in Glasgow. Sturgeon was arrested two months later in June 2023 and was later cleared of any wrongdoing by police.
Sturgeon, who led the Scottish government for nearly a decade before resigning as first minister in February 2023, acknowledged that it was a mistake to allow Murrell to remain SNP chief executive after she became party leader in 2014. “Of course, with hindsight, I wish that I could go back and take a different decision.” she said.
Murrell had held the chief executive role for two decades before stepping down in March 2023. At the time of his resignation, he took responsibility for misleading the news media about a sharp decline in SNP membership. His departure preceded his arrest and eventual guilty plea in the embezzlement case. Police launched their investigation in 2018 following concerns about the SNP’s financial practices, which culminated in the 2023 arrests and Murrell’s subsequent admission of guilt.
No independent assessment of Nicola Sturgeon’s claims was available.