MANCHESTER, England (CN) - Peter Murrell, the former chief executive of Scotland's governing nationalist party, appeared in court Tuesday as prosecutors detailed how he embezzled more than half a million dollars from party coffers over 12 years.

Murrell, who is also the estranged husband of former Scottish leader Nicola Sturgeon, last week admitted stealing money from the Scottish National Party, a pro-independence party that has governed the country for most of the past two decades.

Sturgeon led the Scottish government from 2014 to 2023 and was one of the most recognizable politicians in the U.K. before abruptly resigning.

At Tuesday's hearing in a mild yet cloudy Edinburgh, prosecutors said Murrell concealed the thefts through false accounting records, fake invoices and misleading expense claims while overseeing the party's finances.

The hearing offered a detailed account of the spending spree at the center of a scandal that has battered the SNP and raised questions about oversight inside the party that has governed Scotland since 2007.

Murrell arrived at court in a white prison van and later left in handcuffs. 

Alan Cameron, the senior prosecutor, told the court Murrell stole money from SNP bank accounts under his control.

He said Murrell made direct transfers from party funds for personal purchases.

"The accused made direct transfers of money and used his party charge card and those of two other staff members to make purchases not connected with party business," Cameron said. "Other members of staff were unaware he was using those cards for that purpose."

As chief executive, Murrell had final approval over expense claims submitted to the party, including his own. 

Prosecutors said he exploited that authority to submit almost $25,000 in bogus reimbursement claims by falsely stating he had accidentally used personal credit cards for party purchases.

From egg poacher to luxury motorhome 

The court heard Murrell concealed purchases through misleading descriptions in the party's accounting software.

Two Bremont luxury watches costing more than $12,000 were recorded as "event merchandise." A robotic lawnmower bought for about $4,000 was entered as "legal fees." An egg poacher costing less than $30 was described as "ethernet cabling."

Several purchases were linked to the Glasgow home Murrell shared with Sturgeon. Police found a silver wine coaster worth about $4,700 at the property. Prosecutors also cited a fitted home library, a cabinet for a boiler and hallway mats purchased using party funds.

The court heard details of several larger purchases.

One involved a Volkswagen Golf that was later sold to help fund the purchase of a Jaguar I-Pace worth roughly $110,000.

Another involved a luxury motorhome worth about $168,000. The odometer showed it had been driven only 4 miles when the police recovered the vehicle.

Prosecutors described purchases including nine vacuum cleaners bought over four years, luxury toiletries, travel guides and equipment for the motorhome, which appears to have sat largely unused.

The hearing didn't touch on one of the enduring mysteries of the case: why Murrell, who was already a wealthy man, spent the money.

Murrell instructed his lawyers to explore a guilty plea on March 3, prosecutors said.

The Crown was informed on May 21 that he intended to admit the offenses, four days before he formally entered his guilty plea.

Murrell's lawyer, John Scullionx, told the court he will present mitigation arguments before sentencing on June 23.

A social work report is being prepared ahead of that hearing.

Sturgeon feels 'betrayed'

The scandal has had sweeping political consequences in Scotland.

The SNP built its modern success under the leadership of Sturgeon and her predecessor, Alex Salmond, becoming the dominant force in Scottish politics while campaigning for Scotland to leave the United Kingdom.

Murrell and Sturgeon were long viewed as one of the country's most powerful political couples.

As a result, the case has fueled years of scrutiny over the party's finances and governance.

It has also led to a decline in support for the SNP. Although the party won a fifth consecutive term as Scotland's largest party in elections last month, it lost six seats in the Scottish Parliament and saw its vote share fall from 48% to 38%.

Sturgeon, who was interviewed by police during the wider investigation but has not been charged with any offense, has repeatedly denied knowing anything about Murrell's actions.

On Sunday, she said she had been "deceived and betrayed" by her estranged husband.

"None of these things I would have looked at and thought, how on earth could he afford them?" Sturgeon said. "We were two people on high salaries."

She said there had never been any warning signs that money was being stolen from the party.

"There was no occasion that somebody came to me and said we're concerned that somebody is embezzling money from the SNP," Sturgeon said. "And there was nothing ever in the accounts. If qualified auditors weren't able to see that when they approved the accounts, I'm not sure how I or the national treasurer should have been able to see that."

Hours after Murrell entered his guilty plea last week, the current leader of the SNP and head of the Scottish government, John Swinney, called the offenses a "terrible breach of trust and an overwhelming betrayal."

Alongside what is expected to be a substantial prison sentence, Murrell is likely to face legal efforts to recover the money he admitted stealing from the party.

Courthouse News reporter James Francis Whitehead is based in England.

Source: Courthouse News Service