Peter Murrell, the disgraced former SNP chief executive and husband of Nicola Sturgeon, sold his holiday home in Portugal after being granted legal aid funded by taxpayers for his embezzlement case. The property, located in the Algarve, was sold in October, months after his legal aid application was approved, as reported by the Daily Telegraph.
Murrell faces a jail sentence this month after pleading guilty to embezzling over £400,000 during his tenure as SNP chief executive. The Record revealed last year that he would receive taxpayer assistance for his defence following approval of his legal aid application.
As part of Operation Branchform, some of Murrell's assets were frozen, but the Portuguese villa was not included. The Telegraph speculated that the property could theoretically have been considered in the legal aid eligibility calculation.
Property Details and Sale
The villa, overlooking Nossa Senhora da Rocha beach, was jointly owned by Murrell, his sister, and family friends before being sold to a Portuguese investment company. Similar properties in the resort are valued between £346,000 and £518,000.
Murrell's legal aid application was approved in April last year, and the villa was sold in October. John Scullion KC, Murrell's representative, told the High Court of Edinburgh this month that his client would be able to repay the embezzled £400,000 using his frozen assets.
Political Reactions
Labour MSP Jackie Baillie condemned the situation, calling it a national scandal. She stated: “Not only has Peter Murrell scammed SNP members, independence supporters, and potentially taxpayers, but now it seems he has scammed the legal aid system. The cheek of a man on his income, with his lifestyle and a holiday home in Portugal, pleading poverty to exploit a legal aid system his party has hollowed out while in government is staggering and a slap in the face to Scottish taxpayers. If Murrell’s lawyers are content that he can repay the SNP members he stole from, there is no way he can claim he can’t repay his legal aid. He must pay it back, and he should use the proceeds of the sale of his holiday home to do so.”
Tory MSP Stephen Kerr added: “This absolutely stinks and undermines public confidence in Scotland’s legal aid system. The idea that someone whose assets include a holiday home should be eligible for legal aid makes an absolute mockery of our justice system. Having stolen from SNP donors, and it seems the public purse, Peter Murrell is now fleecing the taxpayer for his legal costs. This is yet another unacceptable strand to this enormous SNP scandal.”
Legal Aid Board Statement
A Scottish Legal Aid Board spokesman said: “We cannot comment on the specifics of an individual’s grant of legal aid. Any grant of legal aid is made on the condition that we must be advised of any change of financial circumstances during the lifetime of a case. If any material change means the client is no longer eligible to continue to receive legal aid, we will terminate the grant. We have been kept aware of Peter Murrell’s circumstances. He continues to meet the tests we have to apply when deciding whether to continue a grant of legal aid.”
