Peter Murrell, the former chief executive of the Scottish National Party (SNP), has been sentenced to more than five years in prison for embezzling over £400,000 from the party. Lord Young handed down a backdated sentence of five years and three months at the High Court in Edinburgh on Tuesday, June 23, 2026.
Murrell's Arrival at Court
Murrell entered the dock of the court shortly after 9.30am, having arrived in a prison van. He had previously admitted to embezzling funds from the SNP over a 12-year period, during which he served as the party's chief executive.
Judge's Remarks
Lord Young described the crime as a “calculated crime of dishonesty,” involving a “large number of fraudulent acts over a 12-month period while you were chief executive officer of the SNP.” The judge noted that the offending increased in frequency and amount over time, reflecting a deliberate and sustained abuse of trust.
Impact and Reaction
The case has sent shockwaves through Scottish politics, with the SNP facing scrutiny over its internal financial controls. Murrell's sentence marks a significant fall from grace for a figure who was once a key strategist and administrator for the party. The embezzled funds, totaling more than £400,000, were siphoned from party coffers over more than a decade.
