The SNP was tipped off that Peter Murrell was to plead guilty to embezzlement charges three days before his court appearance, it has emerged.
After Murrell’s sentencing, the Crown Office admitted that it had advised the SNP’s solicitor that Nicola Sturgeon’s estranged husband had agreed to a plea deal.
The governing party was told the day after Murrell’s lawyers had confirmed he would admit the charge.
Scotland’s prosecution service defended the move, saying that it was “routine” to keep victims informed “ahead of a significant court development”.
However, the SNP’s opponents at Holyrood said the tip-off had conferred a clear political advantage over their rivals, giving John Swinney and his strategists three days to prepare for the bombshell plea and devise a response.
On March 3, Murrell and his lawyers began discussions over a plea deal. A hearing had been due to be held almost three weeks earlier, on February 20, but this was delayed until after the Holyrood elections.
About £60,000 worth of items he was originally accused of embezzling were removed from the indictment and on May 21 he confirmed to the Crown he would accept the agreement.
The next day, a Friday, the SNP was told Murrell would plead guilty. He did so at the High Court in Edinburgh the following Monday, May 25.
Opposition parties at Holyrood raised concerns about the development. It follows a similar row in which Dorothy Bain, who was lord advocate at the time, was accused of having shared politically useful information with John Swinney.
In March last year, Ms Bain told the First Minister that Murrell had been charged with embezzling £460,000 from the SNP. This was almost a year before the scale of Murrell’s offending became public knowledge. In January this year, Ms Bain provided Mr Swinney with a further update.
The Crown Office has said that law officers, who are part of the SNP government, did not take any decisions regarding the investigation into the party’s finances and were informed of developments only after decisions were made.
However, Russell Findlay, the Scottish Conservative leader, said the third tip-off was further evidence that the governing party had received preferential treatment.
“When the Lord Advocate shared sensitive information with John Swinney before the election, it gave the SNP political advantage,” he said.
“This appears to be another example of the SNP receiving special treatment in relation to the Peter Murrell case.
“A robust inquiry would get to the bottom of these concerns and others, but John Swinney is running scared of transparency.”
On Tuesday, Murrell was sentenced to five years and three months in prison for embezzling more than £400,000 from the party he ran as chief executive for more than two decades.
The case has led to renewed scrutiny of the dual role of the lord advocate, who is both appointed by the first minister and serves in their cabinet, while also acting as head of the prosecution service.
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Concerns were also raised over the delay to Murrell’s initial court date, meaning the case could not be discussed in detail until after the Holyrood elections.
Had Murrell admitted the charges before the May 7 election, the issue would have dominated the campaign. The Crown agreed to the delay on the basis that they would have done the same in any other case.
A statement of uncontroversial evidence, running to 318 pages, had been served to Murrell nine days before the delay was agreed, and the defence claimed that it was not ready.
The SNP returned to power at Holyrood with 58 of 129 seats.
A spokesman for the Crown Office told The Times: “In keeping with normal practice, information may also be provided in advance of public court proceedings to legal representatives of affected parties or to victims, where appropriate.
“In this case, the SNP’s solicitor was advised on Friday, 22 May, 2026, in advance of the hearing on Monday, 25 May, 2026, that Peter Murrell was expected to plead guilty.
“This reflected routine engagement by the [Crown Office & Procurator Fiscal Service] with legal representatives ahead of a significant court development.”
An SNP spokesperson said: “As is standard practice in legal proceedings, the Scottish National Party, as the victim of the crime, was informed through legal representatives of the expectation that Peter Murrell would plead guilty. John Swinney, as SNP Leader, was of course made aware of this development.”
