Purchases from the high-end cookware brand Le Creuset were among the red flags that alerted police to Peter Murrell's long-running embezzlement of SNP funds. The former party chief executive bought several items using party money, including a set of measuring spoons for £43 and a set of mugs worth £204.
Motorhome and other purchases
An £85 tea kettle from Le Creuset was also found in the now-famous motorhome purchased by Murrell and left at his mother's house. Detectives began investigating SNP finances after a series of complaints in 2021, many concerning donations to a fund for fighting another Scottish independence referendum.
Operation Branchform, the police and Crown Office investigation, expanded beyond these initial complaints to examine potential embezzlement in early 2023. As detectives scrutinised the SNP's books, they noticed unusual purchases during periods when the party's finances were low.
First retailer flagged
It is understood that the Le Creuset purchases stood out as one of the first retailers where Murrell had been spending embezzled money, leading to further discoveries by police. Last month, Murrell admitted to embezzling £400,310.65 from the SNP between August 2010 and October 2022.
Court papers revealed a lengthy list of items bought with the embezzled funds, including a space telescope, DVDs, a home library ladder worth over £900, and a coffee machine worth nearly £3,232. Two cars and the £124,550 motorhome were also among the purchases.
Continued offending after investigation
Murrell's embezzlement continued even after knowledge of the police investigation became public. Police and prosecutors said they reviewed "extensive" evidence.
The Crown Office stated: "Prosecutors considered 516 witness statements and a large volume of documentary and digital material, including data sources containing tens of thousands of files spanning an extended period."
"The SPR (standard prosecution report) contained a single charge of embezzlement, but within that charge there were hundreds of potentially criminal purchases. For each purchase, prosecutors required evidence that SNP funds had been used, documentation showing what had been bought, the retailer involved, and accounting material capable of showing how the purchase had been recorded within SNP finances."
Further work and timeline
"Further work was also required to establish the earliest criminal transactions and the full value of the embezzlement. That led prosecutors back beyond the original date range in the police report and ultimately to offending beginning in August 2010."
Others in the SNP also alerted police to some of the items purchased by Murrell. It is understood that Murray Foote, who replaced Murrell as chief executive, approached the police investigation with items he wished to make them aware of.
