Ex-SNP chief Peter Murrell appears in court charged with embezzlement

Former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell has appeared in court charged with embezzlement amid an investigation into the party's funding and finances.

Murrell, who is separated from former first minister Nicola Sturgeon, made no plea to the single charge when he appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Thursday.

The 60-year-old was granted bail with his next court appearance yet to be confirmed.

Murrell, who had been SNP chief executive since 1999, resigned in March 2023 amid a row over party numbers.

The following month he was arrested amid Police Scotland's long-running Operation Branchform and was subsequently charged a year later with embezzling SNP funds.

The probe, which has been ongoing since July 2021, is linked to the spending of around £600,000 raised by SNP supporters to be earmarked for Scottish independence campaigning.

Ms Sturgeon and ex-party treasurer MSP Colin Beattie have also been arrested and released without charge as part of the investigation.

Ms Sturgeon continues to deny any wrongdoing.

In January, Ms Sturgeon announced she had split from Murrell.

The pair, who first met via the SNP in 1988 and became a couple in 2003, married in 2010.

The Glasgow Southside MSP announced their separation in a post on Instagram, revealing they had been "separated for some time now" but "still care deeply for each other, and always will".

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