Former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell has been remanded into custody after pleading guilty to embezzling £400,000 from the party at the High Court in Edinburgh.
He appeared for a hearing today which had originally been scheduled to take place in Glasgow in February.
Murrell was accused of embezzling the funds from the party between August 2010 and January 2023.
Murrell, 61, who is Nicola Sturgeon’s estranged husband, was alleged to have used the money to buy items including a motorhome and luxury goods, and towards the purchase of two cars.
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He arrived at the High Court on Monday wearing a black suit with a black tie.
He was led away in handcuffs and remanded into custody for sentencing on June 23.
The judge told him that his actions were a “gross breach of trust”.
The former chief executive, was first arrested in April 2023, as police investigated the SNP finance's and was charged in April 2024
Peter Murrell has pleaded guilty to embezzling £400,000
|PA
The indictment included allegations that in 2020 Murrell used party funds to buy a £124,550 motorhome for his own personal use.
The full details of his crimes will be disclosed in court on June 2.
In a deal with prosecutors brokered over recent weeks, Murrell admitted reduced charges in court after nearly £60,000 in alleged embezzlement was removed from the six-page indictment.
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His hearing was originally been scheduled to take place in Glasgow in February
|PA
Until he stood down in 2023 during the leadership race to succeed Ms Sturgeon, Murrell had been chief executive of the SNP for more than 20 years.
They had previously been one of the most powerful couples in UK politics for many years, with Ms Sturgeon serving for more than eight years as Scottish first minister and SNP leader, while Mr Murrell was the chief executive of the party.
In January last year, Ms Sturgeon announced she and Murrell had “decided to end” their marriage.
The policing cost of the long-running investigation into SNP finances reached more than £2million.
Assistant Chief Constable Stuart Houston had oversight of Operation Branchform, Police Scotland’s investigation into the embezzlement, and said: "This was a lengthy and extremely complex case due to the scale of criminality over a 12-year period and the lengths Peter Murrell went to try and cover his tracks.
“I commend the professionalism and absolute dedication of the Operation Branchform team who spent more than four years carrying out extensive enquiries across Europe to unpick Murrell’s offending.
“All of this work, in close partnership with colleagues from the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, was carried out under the most intense public scrutiny and it was their commitment to gathering such detailed and compelling evidence that brought us to the High Court today.
“This is without doubt one of the most high-profile investigations in recent times and it is testimony to the work of Police Scotland officers and staff that has led to Peter Murrell’s admission of guilt early in the court process.
"“Peter Murrell has shown utter contempt for the high public trust placed in him as the Chief Executive of a political party and his position in the wider political establishment in Scotland for many years.
“He abused his privileged position with access to Scottish National Party funds to divert cash into his own accounts and bankroll the lavish lifestyle he craved but could not afford.
“From 2010 to 2022 he spent hundreds of thousands of pounds on luxury goods while carefully trying to hide his criminality with false receipts and accounting.
“He must now face the consequences of his actions.”
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