He pleaded guilty to submitting false invoices and ultimately stealing £400,310.65 from the party over a 12-year period, between August 2010 and October 2022.
John Scullion KC, the lawyer representing Murrell, told Lord Young at the High Court of Edinburgh that his client would be able to pay the sum back with his seized assets.
Murrell’s financial assets were seized in June 2024 after he was arrested as part of Operation Branchform, the police probe into SNP finances.
Part of the marital home Murrell shares with Ms Sturgeon could be sold off to recoup some of the funds.
Scotland’s legal aid system does not allow the Scottish Legal Aid Board (Slab) to consider frozen assets when assessing the eligibility of an applicant.
That meant Murrell was granted legal aid, although no payments have yet been issued.
Murrell’s senior counsel has four months from the conclusion of court proceedings to submit their accounts to the legal aid board.
The cost of legal aid can also not be clawed back from Murrell after his assets are unfrozen, The Herald has been told, leading to scrutiny of the system.
Stephen Kerr, the justice spokesman for the Scottish Conservatives, said: “Peter Murrell is a crook plain and simple. The idea that a man who for 20 years was in a high-paying job and whose own lawyer says there are sufficient frozen assets available to repay the embezzled funds is entitled to taxpayers’ aid makes a mockery of our legal system.”
He added: “Hard-pressed Scots are already being hammered by the highest taxes in the UK, and they are now being expected to pick up the legal tab for Nicola Sturgeon’s disgraced husband.
“While vulnerable people across Scotland struggle to access legal support, this case exposes yet again how badly broken the SNP’s legal aid system has become.”
Murrell’s legal fees are expected to be significantly less than first thought following the guilty plea, meaning there will be no trial.
During the narrative hearing on Tuesday, Mr Scullion told the court that Murrell’s assets were frozen following a restraint order granted through the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.
“The value of the property restrained in terms of the petition suggests that there will be repayment of the sum embezzled in this case,” the KC said.
The KC will set out further details in mitigation during the June 23 sentencing, with a social work report on Murrell being prepared before then.
Nicola Sturgeon and Peter Murrell (Image: Newsquest)
After sentencing, legal aid fees can be submitted to the board.
The Scottish Legal Aid Board confirmed to The Herald that the cost of Murrell’s legal aid cannot be clawed back after his assets are unfrozen.
A spokesman said: “Legal aid is paid to the solicitor of an accused person in criminal proceedings to ensure they are represented in court and the justice system operates properly for all concerned.”
The legal aid board considers the financial position at the time, with applicants allowed to have a disposable income of up to £222 per week to qualify.
While the value of a first home is not taken into account for legal aid eligibility, second homes, caravans, jewellery and other financial assets are considered. However, with Murrell’s assets frozen, these would not have been considered, SLAB said.
Defence lawyer Thomas Leonard Ross KC said: “It doesn’t matter who you are – if your liquid assets have been frozen by the court until your case is concluded – your only heritable asset is the house you live in – and imprisonment is an option in the event of conviction – you’ll qualify for criminal legal aid in Scotland.”
During Murrell’s narrative hearing, the Crown revealed he used his privileged position to access the SNP’s accounting system to input false invoices to justify purchases with SNP credit cards, charge cards and direct money transfers.
The most expensive purchase was a £124,550 Niesmann+Bischoff motorhome, which was parked outside his mother’s home in Dunfermline.
He also spent more than £9,000 on designer watches and purchased £42,661 of goods from Amazon.
The Herald contacted Murrell’s legal representatives for comment.
Ms Sturgeon, the former first minister, married Murrell in 2010 but announced their separation in January last year.
She was arrested as part of Operation Branchform in 2023 but later told she was no longer under investigation.
The former first minister told BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg she should not be expected to assist in repaying funds Murrell embezzled, stating: “For my own sake, but for the sake of people out there, a lot of women who end up finding themselves blamed for the actions of the men in their lives, I’m not going to contribute to that kind of sense that I am responsible for somebody else’s crimes.”
