Peter Murrell admitted embezzling more than £400,000 from Scottish National Party funds at the High Court in Edinburgh. The former SNP chief executive, who served from 2001 to 2023, admitted offences involving a gross breach of trust between August 2010 and October 2022. His arrest followed a lengthy investigation into the diversion of about £600,000 in donations intended to support the SNP’s Scottish independence campaign. Murrell was remanded in custody ahead of a sentencing hearing scheduled for June 23. Nicola Sturgeon resigned as SNP leader and first minister in February 2023, was later arrested and questioned in June 2023, and was released without charge.
"Peter Murrell admitted the offences at the High Court in Edinburgh on Monday, following a years-long investigation into the SNP's finances and the alleged diversion of donations intended to support the Scottish independence campaign. Sixty-one-year-old Peter Murrell admitted the offences at the High Court in Edinburgh on Monday, following a years-long investigation into the SNP's finances and the alleged diversion of donations intended to support the Scottish independence campaign."
"Murrell, who was the SNP's chief executive from 2001 to 2023, was remanded in custody by the judge before a sentencing hearing scheduled for June 23. Judge James Young said Murrell was responsible for a gross breach of trust for embezzling offences between August 2010 and October 2022."
"Murrell's arrest came after a lengthy investigation into the diversion of 600,000 British pounds ($810,400) in SNP donations intended to support the party's campaign for Scottish independence. Although part of the United Kingdom, Scotland has a devolved government with powers over areas such as health and education."
"Sturgeon, the former head of Scotland's administration, quit as SNP leader and first minister in February 2023. Murrell was arrested in April that year after officers searched the home he shared with Sturgeon near Glasgow, as part of an investigation into the SNP's finances. Sturgeon was herself arrested in June 2023 and questioned for seven hours before being released without charge."
#scottish-national-party #embezzlement #scottish-independence #political-corruption #court-proceedings
Read at www.aljazeera.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]