Former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell has been jailed for five years and three months after admitting embezzling more than £400,000 from the party over a 12-year period.
Murrell, 61, pleaded guilty last month to stealing £400,310.65 between 2010 and 2022, using party funds to buy hundreds of personal items, including vehicles and luxury goods.
Sentencing him at the High Court in Edinburgh, Lord Young said: “You found yourself unable to stop this offending, and it was only the detection of the crime that brought it to an end.”
Following the sentencing, Assistant Chief Constable Stuart Houston said: “Today’s sentencing of Peter Murrell — and a sentence of such duration — is proof that those who flout the law, who break the trust of those around them, and who embezzle vast sums of money will not escape justice, regardless of how high a profile or role they may hold.”
He added: “His undeniably deliberate and calculated actions to mislead and steal for his own personal gain has proved his disregard for those who placed their trust in him.”
He said work would continue to recover the sums stolen by Murrell.