Former Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has stated that she feels as if she is serving a sentence for a crime she did not commit, denying any conscious awareness of the motor home purchased by her estranged husband with embezzled funds from the Scottish National Party (SNP). In her first media interview since Peter Murrell pleaded guilty to embezzling over £400,000 from the party, Sturgeon insisted that whistleblowers were not blocked from raising concerns, which focused on funds intended for a second independence referendum.
Denial of Knowledge
Sturgeon, 55, has consistently denied any knowledge of Murrell's crimes, which occurred between 2010 and 2022, and was not charged following a police investigation. However, public skepticism has grown after it emerged that Murrell, 61, used the money to purchase a motor home, a Jaguar SUV, a VW Golf, boutique cosmetics, iPads, and expensive salt and pepper grinders worth £2,618. Sturgeon said she visited her mother-in-law's home only a few times during the two years the motor home was parked there and did not see it. She explained that the motor home was parked around the side of the house, not in the driveway, and she had no conscious memory of seeing it.
Financial Records
Sturgeon noted that the motor home appeared in the SNP's accounts as "motor vehicles," which did not raise suspicion since the party routinely used branded buses. She faced 55 minutes of questioning about her knowledge of Murrell's crimes before the police investigation. In 2021, senior party officials, including the then SNP treasurer, resigned over concerns about financial transparency. Sturgeon stated that until early 2023, the focus was on whether £600,000 raised for a second independence referendum was used for election campaigning, not embezzlement.
Refusal to Apologise
Sturgeon refused to apologise for Murrell's crimes, emphasising that she should not be blamed for the actions of a man in her life. She said, "I am not responsible for the crimes that my former husband committed and I'm not going to apologise for somebody else's crimes." She acknowledged an error in judgment by keeping Murrell as SNP chief executive when she became party leader in 2014, but stressed that his crimes had already been ongoing for years.
Emotional Reaction
Sturgeon became visibly emotional when discussing a pendant from Shetland, costing over £400, which Murrell gave her but was later found to have been bought with embezzled money. She said, "I loved that necklace and I wore it a lot. The idea that I would have gone about wearing things that I had known were anything other than what they were presented as... causes a level of pain, bewilderment." Murrell is set to be sentenced in June, while the SNP faces calls for an independent inquiry into its finances.
