Prosecutors have released images of a £2,000 fitted library at the home of Peter Murrell and Nicola Sturgeon, showing it marked as evidence in the embezzlement case that led to Murrell's imprisonment. The 61-year-old former SNP chief executive was jailed after pleading guilty to embezzling £400,000 from the party over 12 years.
Details of the embezzlement
Murrell used SNP funds for a string of personal purchases between 2010 and 2022, including cars, a motorhome, and fountain pens. Among the items recovered by police was a fitted home library costing £1,946, found at the home he shared with Sturgeon in Glasgow. The Crown Office released a file of dozens of images detailing the frivolous items, with the library pictured crammed with hundreds of books and marked as evidence.
Prosecutor's statement
A statement from prosecutors said: "Some of the items listed in the Schedules were recovered by police during their search of the accused’s home in April 2023, with a smaller number of others being recovered from the SNP headquarters. Others were found but left in situ at the accused’s home, including a fitted home library which was partly paid for with SNP funds, a wooden library ladder, a bathroom vanity unit, a kitchen unit for the boiler and fitted mats in the hallway. The majority of the items purchased were not found during the searches."
How Murrell misused funds
The court heard that Murrell used his SNP charge card, as well as those of two other staff members, to buy items. He also used direct bank transfers from the SNP account, which was largely made up of membership fees, donations, and funds left for the party in wills. As chief executive, Murrell had direct access to the accounting system and could log purchases himself, though much of this was carried out by another staff member.
Arrest and conviction
Murrell was first arrested in April 2023, a few weeks after resigning as SNP chief executive following a row over membership figures. He pled guilty to embezzlement at the High Court last month and has now started his prison sentence. Sturgeon, who was Scotland’s first minister from 2014 to 2023, has not been charged in connection with the case.
