Nicola Sturgeon Tells BBC She Is Serving A Sentence For Peter Murrell’s Embezzlement

Nicola Sturgeon told the BBC she feels like she is "serving a sentence for a crime I did not commit" after estranged husband Peter Murrell pleaded guilty to embezzling more than £400,000 from the Scottish National Party.

“Scotland’s former leader rejects blame for estranged husband’s embezzlement of party funds Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s former first minister, rejects any blame for her estranged husband’s embezzlement of Scottish National Party funds LONDON -- Scotland’s former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon defiantly rejected any blame Sunday for her estranged husband’s embezzlement of Scottish National Party funds, saying she wouldn’t apologize for his crimes”

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Sturgeon said she refuses to apologise for what Murrell did, telling the BBC: "I am not responsible for the crimes that my former husband committed and I'm not going to apologise for somebody else's crimes," while she described being "deceived" and "misled" by him.

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The BBC said Murrell’s wrongdoing was committed between 2010 and 2022, and that Sturgeon was SNP party leader between 2014 and 2023 and shared responsibility for monitoring the party's accounts.

Sturgeon also told the BBC she was not charged after a police investigation and that she had consistently denied any knowledge of Murrell’s wrongdoing.

The Times of India said Murrell, 61, is due to be sentenced in June and that the SNP is preparing for two UK parliamentary by-elections in Aberdeen South and Arbroath and Broughty Ferry, both scheduled for June.

In her first major interview since Murrell’s guilty plea, Sturgeon told the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg that she was "not going to apologise for somebody else’s crimes" and said she would take responsibility only for "the things I do, the decisions I make."

The Holyrood Website quoted Sturgeon saying: "I will take responsibility for the things I do, the decisions I make," while also describing her police interview posture as "terrified, bewildered and in a high state of stress and anxiety".

BBC

The BBC reported that Sturgeon’s comments were met with scepticism and that UK government minister Pat McFadden warned there should not be a "culture of control and secrecy that just tries to shut this down".

The Holyrood Website said First Minister John Swinney was under pressure to agree to a parliamentary inquiry and that at FMQs on Thursday he said there was no idea for such an investigation following the culmination of Police Scotland’s Operation Branchform.

The Holyrood Website also said Westminster’s Scottish Affairs Committee may yet carry out an investigation, particularly amid claims that taxpayers’ money was among that embezzled by Murrell.

Sturgeon told the BBC that Murrell "perpetrated a crime on the SNP" and that "By definition, that included me as the party leader," while she said Murrell "is serving and will be serving a sentence for a crime he committed" and she is "out here feeling as if I'm serving a sentence for a crime I did not commit."

“Sturgeon says she’s ‘serving a sentence for a crime I did not commit’ Nicola Sturgeon has said she feels as if she is “serving a sentence for a crime I did not commit” following the guilty plea of her estranged husband Peter Murrell”

Holyrood Website

The BBC said the largest single transaction made by Murrell was £124,550 for a motorhome parked at his mother’s house, and Sturgeon said she had no "conscious memory" of ever seeing the luxury vehicle.

The Guardian reported that Murrell spent the money on items including a Jaguar SUV and a VW Golf, boutique cosmetics, iPads and a pair of Lalique Feuilles salt and pepper grinders worth £2,618, while Sturgeon said the motor home was recorded in the party’s accounts as "motor vehicles".

The Guardian also quoted Clean Clothes Campaign spokesperson Ineke Zeldenrust saying the audit system was "fundamentally broken" because "audits consistently miss the most dangerous conditions because they are announced in advance and rely on documents rather than worker testimony."

The Times of India said the SNP now faces pressure for an independent inquiry into its finances as it prepares for the June by-elections in Aberdeen South and Arbroath and Broughty Ferry.