FORMER SCOTTISH NATIONAL Party chief executive Peter Murrell has been remanded in custody at the High Court in Edinburgh after pleading guilty to embezzling around £400,300 (€464,400) from the political party.

Murrell admitted the charges when he appeared at the court on Monday morning.

The former chief executive, who is Nicola Sturgeon’s estranged husband, was charged with embezzling the funds from the Scottish National Party between August 2010 and October 2022.

File image of Nicola Sturgeon and Peter Murrel Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

He admitted an amended indictment which reduced the amount of the embezzled money down from more than £459,000 (€532,000).

Sentencing is due to take place on 23 June.

Speaking at a press conference, First Minister John Swinney expressed his “personal horror” at Murrell’s offending.

“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.

The operation investigated the SNP’s funding and finances and involved several high-profile arrests.

The policing cost of the long-running investigation reached more than £2 million (€2.32 million).

A £1,200 (€1,390) space telescope, a designer bread bin costing £60 (€70) and two toilet seats for nearly £70 (€81) are some of the items Murrell bought using money he embezzled from the SNP.

He also bought three designer manicure sets for nearly £294 (€340), DVDs of the Danish political thriller Borgen, a Grand Theft Auto V video game and a designer egg poacher set for nearly £24 (€28).

Also among his purchases were a Jura Giga 5 Cromo coffee machine for nearly £3,232 (€4,000)  – and a book of speeches by his estranged wife.

The 126-page indictment details hundreds of things Murrell bought using the embezzled funds.

Some of the items bought with the embezzled money are listed below:

• Celestron 10169 NexStar 8SE computerised Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope: £1,199 (€1,390).
• Grand Theft Auto V for Playstation 4: £42.99 (€50). 
• Three Wusthof manicure sets: £293.70 (€340).
• Joseph Joseph bread bin: £60 (€70).
• The Beatles special edition fountain pen and rollerball: £1,475 (€2,000).
• 1:30 scale model helicopter from Let’s Shop Airbus of Airbus Operations Limited (£550.59).
• Oxo Good Grips egg poacher set: £23.98 (€28).
• Copy of the board game Monopoly, published by Hasbro: £19.79 (€23).
• Copy of the book Women Hold Up Half the Sky: Selected Speeches of Nicola Sturgeon: £22.04 (€26).
• Two Fisher bullet space pens in gift boxes and two Fischer Eclipse American technology space pens: £89.25 (€100).
• Two pairs of Gold Leaf gents dry touch gloves and six bottles of Avon Skin So Soft body spray: £58.73 (€68).
• Jura Giga 5 Cromo coffee machine: £3,231.90 (€4,000).
• Two Smedbo Sideline design soap baskets: £116 (€130).
• Oak library ladder: £943 (€1,000).
• Four Simple Human kitchen cupboard cabinet organisers: £196.08 (€230).
• Two Helly Hansen men’s vests: £140.49 (€160).
• Le Creuset wine bottle cooler sleeve, foil remover, and champagne and sparkling wine bottle opener: £57 (€66).
• 2017 United Kingdom silver proof coin set from the Royal Mint: £625 (€720).
• 600g pack of Chocolossus biscuits: £17.95 (€21).
• Two Ideal Standard toilet seats: £68.82 (€80).
• Fortnum & Mason musical advent calendar: £150 (€170).
• Folio Society edition of Walter Scott’s novel Rob Roy: £307.50 (€360).
• Two Feuilles pepper and salt grinders (£2,618.16).
• Three Jacobi Jane bird feeders (£154.97).
• Eight umbrellas: £1,990.50 (€2,000).