Nicola Sturgeon's husband Peter Murrell's ‘embezzlement' legal costs to be paid by taxpayer after legal aid granted
FIGHTING FUND Nicola Sturgeon's husband Peter Murrell's 'embezzlement' legal costs to be paid by taxpayer after legal aid granted
NICOLA Sturgeon's husband Peter Murrell has been granted legal aid after being charged with embezzlement.
The 60-year-old former SNP chief exec was charged in March as a long running police probe into the party's finances came to an end.
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Peter Murrell has been granted legal aid
Credit: Getty
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The former FM's husband was charged with embezzlement earlier this year
Credit: AP
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It saw the end of the long running Operation Branchform probe into SNP cash
Credit: Reuters
Operation Branchform was launched in 2021 and probed the fate of £600,000 raised for an independence campaign between 2017 and 2019.
The former First Minister's estranged husband appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court over the charge.
It has now emerged Murrell's application for legal aid was granted, reports The Daily Record.
The Scottish Legal Aid board received an application from Murrell's solicitors, which was granted on April 30.
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So far no payments have been made, but officials say Murrell "met the tests" for receiving the cash.
Legal aid chiefs would have checked information his salary, cash in his bank accounts and other investments while considering his application.
It is currently not known how much Murrell was earning while serving as the Nats chief exec.
But when the role was advertised in 2023, Murrell's successor Murray Foote was earning £95,000-a-year.
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And then when the role was again advertised in January, the salary was listed as "competitive".
Murrell was granted bail after his first court appearance and no dates have been set by the Crown Office.
A spokesperson for the Scottish Legal Aid Board said: 'When assessing an applicant's eligibility for legal aid we look at their financial position at the time of their application to ensure they meet tests set by legal aid legislation.
'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.
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'Peter Murrell's application met the tests we have to apply when deciding whether to grant legal aid.'
The dramatic Branchform probe saw Murrell arrested in 2023 but then released without charge.
It saw an army of cops raid the SNP's party HQ in Edinburgh and swoop on he and Nicola Sturgeon's home in an early morning blitz.
Ms Sturgeon and the party's ex-treasurer Colin Beattie were both arrested amid the probe and later found to have committed no wrongdoing.
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The former leader also revealed earlier this year how her marriage to Peter Murrell had ended.
Speaking about Murrell's legal aid win, Scottish Labour's Jackie Baillie said: 'Taxpayers will be scratching their heads at why they should have to foot the bill for Peter Murrell - a man who has been charged with embezzlement.
"It is also particularly galling that Peter Murrell will be receiving legal aid after the SNP government has repeatedly ignored warnings about the financial pressures raised by lawyers."
While Scottish Tory MSP Liam Kerr added: 'It will stick in the throats of hard-pressed Scots that they're picking up the tab for this, especially at a time when his party have squeezed the legal aid budget.'
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