A proceeds of crime unit is behind a ban on Nicola Sturgeon’s husband selling their home, it has been reported.
Peter Murrell was barred from selling any property he owns last June, two months after he was charged with embezzling funds from the SNP.
The Daily Record reported that a proceeds of crime unit in Scotland’s Crown Office prosecution service had asked for the “inhibition”. This is when an individual is prevented from selling property or from taking out loans on it.
Official documents disclosed that it prevents Mr Murrell from selling the home he and Ms Sturgeon bought in 2005 for £228,000. It is the only property listed in the inhibition.
Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain, the head of the Crown Office, which oversees all prosecutions in Scotland, is named as the pursuer of the restriction, but the Daily Record said the “agent” for her was an individual at the proceeds of crime unit in the Edinburgh procurator fiscal’s office.
Ms Bain has recused herself from the case as she is also the SNP Government’s chief law officer, having been nominated for the role by Ms Sturgeon. A legal insider said she had no role in the inhibition and her name appearing on it was a technicality.
SNP membership
Mr Murrell was the SNP’s chief executive for more than 20 years, but he resigned in March 2023 after accepting the blame for the public being misled about the number of SNP members.
The following month, police raided Ms Sturgeon and Mr Murrell’s home and searched it for two days, erecting a large evidence tent. A luxury motorhome was also confiscated from outside the Fife home of Mr Murrell’s elderly mother.
He was arrested in the raid. In May 2023, Colin Beattie, the party’s then treasurer, was arrested, followed by Ms Sturgeon in June that year. All three were released without charge pending further investigation, and Ms Sturgeon has vigorously denied any wrongdoing.
Mr Murrell was charged in April last year in connection with the embezzlement of funds from the party. The Crown Office is deciding how the investigation should proceed.
‘Separated for some time’
Earlier this month, Ms Sturgeon announced that she was divorcing Mr Murrell. She said the couple, who married in 2010, had been “separated for some time now”, but it is understood they are both still living in the house.
A spokesman for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) said: “It would not be appropriate to comment in detail on steps taken by the Crown during an investigation.
“Court actions must be registered in the name of the Lord Advocate and that reflects a constitutional position and not personal involvement.
“The investigation into SNP finances is being handled by professional prosecutors from COPFS and independent counsel without the involvement of the Lord Advocate or Solicitor General.”
The SNP and Ms Sturgeon’s spokeswoman were approached for comment.
