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Ex-SNP chief Peter Murrell granted legal aid for embezzlement charge

Ex-SNP chief Peter Murrell granted legal aid for embezzlement charge

Times02-07-2025
Lawyers' bills accumulated by the former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell will be paid for by the taxpayer after he was granted legal aid.
Murrell, who is Nicola Sturgeon's husband, faces a charge of embezzlement related to funds of the party he ran for more than 20 years.
Murrell, 60, who was chief executive of the SNP between 2001 and 2023 and at points took home a six-figure salary, has had an application for solemn legal aid approved by the Scottish Legal Aid Board.
He was first arrested in April 2023 as part of the long-running police investigation Operation Branchform into the SNP's finances.
He appeared at Edinburgh sheriff court in March this year, where he faced a charge of embezzlement. He made no plea and was granted bail.
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