Nicola Sturgeon's lawyer hits out at 'armchair detectives' over Peter Murrell case
Aamer Anwar said Ms Sturgeon was unaware of Murrell’s criminal conduct
A lawyer representing Nicola Sturgeon has criticised “armchair detectives” as questions continued to be raised over the Peter Murrell embezzlement case.
Aamer Anwar said Ms Sturgeon was unaware of her estranged husband’s criminal conduct.
It came as First Minister John Swinney rejected calls for a Holyrood inquiry into how Murrell, the former chief executive of the SNP, was able to embezzle more than £400,000 from party funds over a 12-year period.
Murrell pled guilty at the High Court in Edinburgh on Monday and will be sentenced next month.
Writing on social media, Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay said a constituent had raised concerns in 2022 about Ms Sturgeon’s “flashy” Montblanc pens, which he said were “£500+”.
Mr Findlay added: “We now know that Sturgeon's husband spent £24,000 (stolen from SNP supporters) at Montblanc. And at least two of Sturgeon's pens used in parliament were the same models he bought.
“Were they bought with stolen cash ? If so, they should be seized using proceeds of crime laws.”
In a statement, Mr Anwar said: “Ms Sturgeon’s position is no different to that already issued in relation to Mr Murrell’s criminality and betrayal.
“Whether Mr Murrell was buying pepper grinders, pens or Nintendo etc etc, Ms Sturgeon was unaware of his criminal conduct.
“It would appear some ‘armchair detectives’ think they are better placed than the gold-plated investigation of Police Scotland and now wish to try Ms Sturgeon for crimes she has not committed; fortunately that is not how our justice system works.
“Had there been evidence of criminality against Ms Sturgeon, then there can be no doubt that she would have been charged, prosecuted and presently be behind bars.
“On what happens next I would hope as leader of the Conservative Party in Scotland and a former accomplished journalist, Mr Findlay would be aware that the Crown Office will take all necessary steps in relation to proceeds of crime and I doubt they need any advice from him or others on what to do in court.”
Mr Swinney has dismissed calls for an inquiry into the circumstances that allowed Mr Murrell to embezzle the money from SNP party funds.
Harriet Cross, Tory MP for Gordon and Buchan and member of the Scottish Affairs Committee, said that it should step up and hold an inquiry if Holyrood fails to do so
She said: "I will be encouraging other parties on the Scottish Affairs Committee to back an inquiry in an effort to unearth the details and answers the public deserve.”
Douglas McAllister, Labour MP for West Dunbartonshire, who also sits on the Scottish Affairs Committee, added: “My preference is for the Scottish Parliament to investigate, however if Holyrood fails to hold an inquiry then the Scottish Affairs Committee should do so. The SNP have received taxpayers cash through short money.”
READ MORE: Jackie Baillie - Scottish public must be told why Murrell’s trial was held after election
Alex Neil, a former SNP Cabinet minister, previously told The Scotsman a senior lawyer should be tasked with examining all aspects of the Murrell case. Former SNP MP Joanna Cherry has also called for an inquiry.
Mr Swinney there was “no need” for such a probe, and suggested it would be inappropriate given the police investigation.
“I don’t think there is the need for a Holyrood inquiry,” he told Bauer Media. “There has been a police inquiry, what more do we need to look into?
“There has been criminality involved here, and that criminality has been addressed in the courts.
“So I don’t think it’s appropriate for there to be a Holyrood inquiry, because what can a Holyrood inquiry do that a detailed police investigation [has not done]?”
Mr Swinney dismissed the calls as “an example of the politicisation” of criminal acts.
He said the issue had been “comprehensively” examined by the police, while the SNP had undertaken its own governance review.
Mr Swinney added: “I’m confident that we have in place strong and robust governance procedures that I preside over as party leader, that provides all the necessary assurance that the SNP is a well governed party.
“So the answers are all there in the police investigation, and the reassurance I give to everybody who has got the wellbeing of the SNP at heart is that the SNP has got good, strong governance under my leadership, and it always will have.”
Ms Cherry said those raising internal concerns over financial transparency were deliberately frustrated by the SNP hierarchy in 2020 and 2021.
She also called for an independent probe, and said this would have to be “shorter, sharper and more focused” than a full public inquiry.
She suggested it could be carried out by an independent KC, or led by a Holyrood committee.
Speaking to The Scotsman, she said: “The SNP is the party of government. They have had this huge financial, internal scandal. It can’t just get swept under the carpet.”
Scottish Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie called for a parliamentary inquiry to examine the police investigation and the actions of senior SNP figures.
“If the SNP and John Swinney have nothing to hide, they have nothing to fear from such an inquiry,” she wrote in a letter to MSPs.
Murrell was remanded in custody at the High Court in Edinburgh on Monday after pleading guilty to embezzling £400,310.65 from the party.
The former chief executive was charged with embezzling the funds from the Scottish National Party between August 2010 and October 2022.
Police said the 61-year-old abused his privileged position to “bankroll the lavish lifestyle he craved but could not afford”.
Police Scotland’s Assistant Chief Constable Stuart Houston, who had oversight of Operation Branchform, the investigation into the embezzlement, described the case as “lengthy and extremely complex” due to the “scale of criminality over a 12-year period and the lengths Peter Murrell went to try and cover his tracks”.
After her ex-husband’s guilty plea, Ms Sturgeon said her reaction was “difficult to put into words”.
She said: “To be deceived a let down by a husband I loved and trusted has caused me acute pain.
“Why he acted as he did is, and always will be, beyond my comprehension.
“To be clear: I had no knowledge or suspicion whatsoever that he was using SNP funds for personal purposes.”
Until he stepped down in 2023, Murrell had been at the helm of the SNP since 1999 and was responsible for its day-to-day running.
Meanwhile, former first minister Humza Yousaf said he hopes Peter Murrell is given a “hefty” sentence after admitting his crimes.
Mr Yousaf said the party’s former chief executive had “hideously betrayed the trust of so many people”.
The fallout from the police investigation into the SNP’s finances completely overshadowed Mr Yousaf’s short time in charge of the party.
“First of all, let me say frankly how p***ed off I am at Peter Murrell,” Mr Yousaf told The Courier.
““I hope he ends up with quite a hefty sentence, quite frankly, because he deserves it.”
The former first minister expressed his shock at the scale of Murrell’s spending.
“The motorhome people focus on, I understand that,” he said. “It was the things like £2,000 on a salt and pepper shaker.
“I didn’t even know people made salt and pepper shakers that cost that sort of money.”
Mr Yousaf recalled the extraordinary day news broke of Murrell’s arrest, on April 5, 2023, when Holyrood had not long gone into recess.
“We had all these visits lined up and planned, and announcements lined up,” he said.
“On the first or second day of that recess I get a call early in the morning to let me know that Peter and Nicola’s house has been raided, and SNQ HQ has been raided, and that Peter’s been arrested.
“I have to go through that whole day on autopilot, while of course thinking about how to respond to this.”
He later saw the arrest warrant after Murrell was taken into custody.
“It didn’t look like to me that this could be a simple mistake, or an accounting mistake, by any stretch of the imagination,” Mr Yousaf added.