Starmer demands answers over Peter Murrell’s £400,000 embezzlement case
Sir Keir Starmer has said there are “questions that need to be answered” after former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell pleaded guilty to embezzling more than £400,000 from the party.
The Prime Minister said people will be “baffled that those at the top of the SNP say they didn’t know anything about what was going on”.
Murrell was remanded into custody at the High Court in Edinburgh on Monday after admitting the charges, which the judge called “a gross breach of trust”.
The 61-year-old, who is Nicola Sturgeon’s estranged husband, was charged with embezzling £400,310.65 from the SNP between August 2010 and October 2022 to fund a lavish lifestyle.
Ms Sturgeon said she had “no knowledge or suspicion whatsoever that personal items had been purchased using SNP funds”, while First Minister John Swinney expressed his “personal horror” at Murrell’s offending.
Asked if Mr Swinney had questions to answer about the matter, Sir Keir said: “Well, I think anybody looking at what’s happening up in Scotland will be baffled that those at the top of the SNP say they didn’t know anything about what was going on, so clearly there are questions that need to be answered.”
In a statement released through lawyer Aamer Anwar, Ms Sturgeon said she and Murrell had had separate bank accounts, and she had no access to his financial records.
“In relation to many of the items in question, for example expensive watches and games consoles, I was not aware of them having been purchased at all,” she said.
Adding that she and Murrell were “both earning high salaries”, Ms Sturgeon said: “In respect of any items I was aware of Peter having purchased, I had no reason to doubt that he had used his own money.”
She also stressed she was “cleared of any wrongdoing after a lengthy and thorough investigation” by Police Scotland.
Speaking at a press conference in Edinburgh on Monday, Mr Swinney said: “By embezzling from the SNP, Peter Murrell was stealing the hopes, the dreams, and the aspirations of thousands of people all over Scotland, people who gave what they could over many years in the hope that it would help contribute to a better country,” he said.
“So today I am horrified, I am betrayed.”
Former SNP MP Joanna Cherry said Ms Sturgeon showed a “remarkable lack of curiosity” over the SNP’s finances. She said those seeking answers were deliberately frustrated by the party hierarchy.
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