Sturgeon Tells BBC: I Am Paying the Price for a Crime I Did Not Commit

Nicola Sturgeon has declared to the BBC that she feels she is "serving a sentence for a crime I did not commit" in the wake of her estranged husband’s admission that he embezzled £400,000 from the Scottish National Party (SNP), the organization she led for many years. In an exclusive interview with Laura Kuenssberg, the former first minister broke down in tears as she recalled receiving gifts from Peter Murrell that were later revealed to have been purchased with stolen funds. Despite the gravity of the situation, Sturgeon refused to offer an apology for the scandal, firmly stating, "I am not responsible for the crimes that my former husband committed and I'm not going to apologise for somebody else's crimes."

Throughout the period in question, from 2010 to 2022, Sturgeon has consistently denied having any prior knowledge of Murrell’s misconduct. Although she shared responsibility for overseeing the party’s accounts during her tenure as SNP leader from 2014 to 2023, she was not charged following a police investigation. Addressing the broadcast on Sunday, Sturgeon explained her stance: "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."

She emphasized her commitment to personal accountability, noting, "I will take responsibility for the things I do, the decisions I make. I'm sitting here with you right now, answering questions because I believe strongly in that accountability." However, she maintained that this principle did not extend to her husband's illegal acts.

The interview sparked skepticism from some quarters, with calls for a more thorough investigation into the affair. UK government minister Pat McFadden criticized what he described as a "culture of control and secrecy that just tries to shut this down." When pressed by the BBC on whether she bore any responsibility given her leadership role, Sturgeon responded, "No... [Murrell] perpetrated a crime on the SNP. By definition, that included me as the party leader. He misled. He deceived." She added, "He is serving and will be serving a sentence for a crime he committed. I'm out here feeling as if I'm serving a sentence for a crime I did not commit." This sentiment mirrored remarks she made earlier in the week at a literary festival, where she described being "deceived, betrayed and lied to" by her husband.

Details of the embezzlement reveal that the largest single expenditure by Murrell was £124,550 for a motorhome, which was parked at his mother’s residence. Sturgeon stated she had no "conscious memory" of ever seeing the luxury vehicle. She described its location as being "round the sides of the house which is not immediately visible in the way that we went into the home," situated between his mother’s property and that of the next-door neighbor. "If I had seen it, I would probably have assumed it was a neighbour's," she said. "Why would it have crossed my mind that it was the SNP's?"

Beyond the motorhome, Murrell used the stolen funds to purchase two cars, jewelry, handbags, high-end coffee machines, and video game consoles. Sturgeon became visibly emotional while discussing a necklace Murrell had gifted her, which cost over £400 and was frequently worn in public. Recalling the moment of the gift, she said, "I'd been campaigning a lot in Shetland and we went to visit, as part of the campaign, we went to visit this amazing business, the Shetland jewellers, and I was being shown around the shop and I stopped at this pendant. I mean, you've seen pictures of it, it's beautiful. Later that night, Peter said to me 'I've got a surprise for you' and 'I saw you admiring this pendant' and gave me it."

Struggling to contain her emotions, she apologized before continuing, "Sorry. I loved that necklace and I wore it a lot." She concluded by highlighting the distress of the revelation: "And this is the other thing. The idea that I would have gone about wearing things that I had known were anything other than what they were presented as, a gift from my husband... to then find out that these were gifts given to me that he'd bought with the party's money."

Source: BBC News Generated at: 2026-05-31 12:13:53 UTC