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Peter Murrell granted legal aid over embezzlement charge

PA Media A bespectacled balding man in a blue sports jacket and striped shirt emerges from a car outside the front door of a modern housePA Media
Former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell had an application approved by the Scottish Legal Aid Board

Former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell has been granted legal aid after being charged with embezzlement.

Mr Murrell, the husband of former first minister Nicola Sturgeon, was charged in April of last year in a police investigation into SNP finances.

The 60-year-old had an application for solemn legal aid approved by the Scottish Legal Aid Board.

Mr Murrell made no plea when he appeared at at Edinburgh Sheriff Court in March and was granted bail.

Legal aid is typically granted to people who cannot afford to pay for legal help themselves, though in some cases they still need to make their own contribution.

Alex Lawrie A bald man wearing glasses and a dark suit and jacket walks along a street in front of a stone building and metal gate. Alex Lawrie
Peter Murrell appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court in March

The Scottish Legal Aid Board said Mr Murrell's lawyers made a successful application for support on 30 April, but no payments had yet been issued.

A spokesperson said: "When assessing an applicant's eligibility for legal aid we look at their financial position at the time of their application.

"This includes information they give us about their salary, the amount of money they have in the bank and any investments, which might be available to fund their own defence privately.

"Peter Murrell's application met the tests we have to apply when deciding whether to grant legal aid."

Operation Branchform: Key moments as the police investigate SNP finances

Mr Murrell was chief executive of the SNP for more than 20 years until he stood down in 2023 during the party leadership race to succeed Sturgeon.

It came after the home they shared was searched by police looking into what happened to £660,000 of donations given to the party.

It was part of an investigation, called Operation Branchform, that lasted almost four years.

Mr Murrell was charged in April last year then appeared in court in March.

In March, police also confirmed that Sturgeon and former SNP treasurer Colin Beattie were no longer under investigation in the probe.

At the time, Sturgeon said: "I don't think there was ever a scrap of evidence that I had done anything wrong."

In January this year, the former first minister announced she and Murrell had "decided to end" their marriage.