John Swinney reveals 'agony' of Peter Murrell embezzlement as SNP to pursue compensation from former CEO
John Swinney has suggested the SNP will be pursuing a compensation claim against Peter Murrell after he was jailed for embezzling party funds
SNP leader John Swinney has spoken out about the “agony” of Peter Murrell’s embezzlement as he confirmed party bosses were exploring obtaining compensation from its former chief executive for his crimes.
Mr Swinney spoke to journalists at Holyrood after Murrell, the former CEO of the SNP, was sentenced to five years and three months in prison for embezzling more than £400,000 of party funds.
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The SNP leader, who has not spoken to Murrell since before he stepped down as deputy leader in March 2023, stressed the situation was “agony”.
Mr Swinney said that the sentence handed to Murrell “recognises the severity and the seriousness of the offences that have been committed”.
“I hope this provides some answers and closure for members of the party who will feel deeply let down by the betrayal of trust, as I feel let down,” he added.
“The judge was crystal clear that there was a betrayal of trust of members of the Scottish National Party and that is of the greatest of concern to me.”
The First Minister reiterated that since becoming leader of the SNP, he has “put in place a range of measures to ensure we have the strongest and highest standards of governance”.
Mr Swinney said that the SNP was “exploring” the potential of obtaining compensation, as well as being refunded by Murrell, for the embezzlement.
“I want to make sure the party’s losses are fully addressed by the compensation arrangements that will be put in place”, he said.
“There is a confiscation order being sought by the Crown which has implications for our compensation claims. But I want to make sure that there is a remedy out of this issue for the party.”
The SNP leader was asked whether the party would like to have possession of the infamous motorhome that Murrell bought with £121,000 of embezzled funds.
“Let me just make it clear – the SNP has no use for a motorhome,” he said.
“But it is part of the £400,000 embezzlement, and that’s what we are trying to secure by the pursuit of the compensation order, which follows the confiscation order of the Crown.”
When news broke about the motorhome, senior SNP sources told journalists it was to be used during the 2021 election, which was held under strict Covid-19 restrictions.
While Mr Swinney said he was not privy to decision-making around its use, he added: “I couldn’t see how that would have a role to play in our campaign efforts.”
Mr Swinney was asked if he would ever be able to forgive Murrell for his crimes.
“I am a forgiving person”, he said.
“It's part of what my faith is about, it’s about forgiving people when they make mistakes. I don’t believe, in my faith, that people should carry the mistakes that they make forever.
“But I cannot understate the sense of hurt and distress and betrayal that I feel about what’s happened here.
“I think constantly of the good people I know who have worked extraordinary hard to raise very small sums of money on a constant basis to make sure we take forward our work.
“£400,000 of that has been stolen and I just can’t reconcile that with my view of how people should act.”
Asked if he would consider visiting Murrell in prison to try to understand why he carried out his crimes, Mr Swinney said: “I don’t think I will, no.”
The SNP leader also defended Nicola Sturgeon following the sentencing of her estranged husband.
Asked if Ms Sturgeon should apologise for crimes committed under her leadership, Mr Swinney said: “The person who is responsible for the crimes is Peter Murrell.”
“I accept Nicola Sturgeon's explanation for what she’s said”, he added.
The SNP leader was pressed over whether Ms Sturgeon had questions to answer over the failure to detect Murrell’s crimes during her leadership.
He said: “Where you believe that there are financial controls in place, I think it’s a reasonable assumption to believe that they’re going to be exercised, particularly in an environment where there was obviously a heavy reliance on trust.
“It’s not surprising because we’re all supposed to be in the SNP, working together with the same endeavour to achieve our political objectives.”
Pressed over whether the marriage of the SNP leader to its CEO had allowed for good governance of the party, Mr Swinney said: “That’s not been a good arrangement.”
Judge Young, in handing down his sentence on Murrell, told him that he was “unable to stop this offending”, adding that “it was only the detection of the crime which brought it to an end”.
Murrell’s lawyer, John Scullion KC, told the court: “There will be sufficient funds under his control to repay the sum embezzled.
“The Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 prevents this court from imposing compensation at this stage. But in due course during that procedure, any sentence imposed today could be varied to include the imposition of a compensation order.”
Mr Swinney insisted that the former party CEO had “subverted the systems” in place.
Murrell was able to falsify accounting records and invoices and sign off his own expenses.
The SNP leader has insisted that better processes and governance and now in place.
“Any payments that have got to be seen by three pairs of eyes before they can be authorised for payment”, he said.
“The party has an extensive and detailed level of financial scrutiny, which I preside over at all times.”
Mr Swinney stressed that “nobody is above questioning in the SNP these days”.
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