Sturgeon Addresses Embezzlement by Ex-Husband
Nicola Sturgeon has stated that she was “deceived, betrayed and lied to” by her estranged husband, Peter Murrell, who embezzled over £400,000 from the Scottish National Party (SNP). This was her first public appearance since Murrell pleaded guilty to the charges.
Speaking to an audience in Ireland, Sturgeon, the former first minister, reflected on the shock of discovering the extent of Murrell’s actions and acknowledged the public’s likely questions regarding her knowledge of the matter.
“I am coming to terms with being married to someone I did not know at all,”
she said. Sturgeon, aged 55, described the past week as “probably the worst week” of her life and mentioned she might need to consult a therapist. She added:
“This is a long-winded way of saying I am not OK, but I will be OK, I am a strong, resilient person.”
Details of Murrell’s Guilty Plea
Peter Murrell has been remanded in custody after pleading guilty at the High Court in Edinburgh on Monday to embezzling £400,310.65 from the SNP between 2010 and 2022. The funds were spent on various items, including a .
Sturgeon was at Listowel Writers’ Week in County Kerry promoting her memoir when she addressed the issue. She has consistently denied any knowledge of Murrell’s criminal activities and was not charged following a police investigation.
Sturgeon’s Response to Public Questions
Sturgeon acknowledged the public’s curiosity and skepticism about how she could have been unaware of the embezzlement. She stated:
“I know there are questions, I understand that. I would probably be asking as well if I was looking in from the outside on somebody else. ‘How can she not have known?’”
She emphasized a common misconception:
“And I think underlying that question there is a big misassumption, which is that I knew anything about it, or that I knew all about it. I think everybody assumes that all of this stuff that it turns out my former husband was buying I knew about it, I just didn’t question how he paid for it.”
Sturgeon further revealed that as recently as Monday, she was reading about some of the expenditures in newspapers for the first time, having never seen or known about them before. She said:
“It wasn’t just that I didn’t question where they came from.”
She added:
“The last few years have had some tough ones for me, but this one, I think, surpasses all of them.”
Police Investigation and Exoneration
The former SNP leader highlighted that she had been “completely exonerated” following a “two-year-long, very forensic police investigation” during which officers searched the home she shared with Murrell.
In 2023, Sturgeon was arrested and questioned by police as part of the inquiry. She stated she had “fully cooperated” with Police Scotland.
Addressing reports that she responded with “no comment” to police questions, Sturgeon clarified:
“I did answer Police Scotland’s questions.”
She explained:
“I followed the advice of my lawyer in a very stressful situation. I think most people would follow the advice of their lawyer.”
Sturgeon also said that after the police interview, she sent a fully detailed written response to the questions posed by the police. She noted:
“I never heard any more from them for two years until they told me I was cleared.”
Personal Impact and Public Turmoil
Sturgeon expressed the emotional difficulty of realizing she had spent many years married to someone she did not truly know. She said:
“It’s a really painful truth to process, and I think I’m only in the very early stages of processing it. And then to be in a position of such public turmoil myself makes that even harder.”
Despite the challenges, Sturgeon emphasized her desire for the public to hear her perspective, acknowledging the questions that remain.
“I want people to hear from me my side of this,”
she said.
