Murrell property sale ban during police probe

Peter Murrell, pictured outside the house he is believed to co-own with Nicola Sturgeon

The former SNP chief executive and recently-separated husband of Nicola Sturgeon is currently banned from selling any property he owns, it has emerged.

The curb on Peter Murrell was put in place last June, three months after he was charged with embezzlement during a police investigation into SNP finances.

Details of the financial restraint were reported by the Daily Record newspaper a week after former first minister Ms Sturgeon announced the couple had separated.

They were married in 2010 and previously lived together at a house on the outskirts of Glasgow, which they are believed to co-own.

Murrell was first arrested and questioned in April 2023 under Operation Branchform, a police probe into SNP finances which began more than three years ago.

A year later, he was charged with embezzlement and the Crown Office is currently deciding how the investigation should proceed.

Nicola Sturgeon was also arrested, in June 2023, but was released without charge. She insists she has done nothing wrong.

She had resigned as SNP leader and first minister earlier that year, but has said her decision was not connected to the police investigation.

Colin Beattie, the former SNP treasurer who was arrested under Operation Branchform about a week after Peter Murrell in 2023, has also denied any wrongdoing.

The house Peter Murrell shared with Nicola Sturgeon was searched as part of Operation Branchform

The restriction on selling property, known in legal terms as an "inhibition", is listed in the name of the Lord Advocate but BBC News understands this is a standard procedure and the order has come from the Court of Session.

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.

However, a spokesperson added: "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."

Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain, who is a member of the Scottish government, has no role in the direction of the police investigation as is required when cases involve politicians.

Peter Murrell and Nicola Sturgeon were married in 2010

In December, Ms Sturgeon said she had learned "nothing more" about the status of the police investigation since she was arrested and released in 2023

Operation Branchform began after questions were asked and complaints made about how £650,000 of donations for independence campaigning had been spent.

In September it emerged that officers had sent prosecutors details of what they had uncovered in an "advice and guidance report" and were seeking formal advice on what they should do next.

Peter Murrell held the position of SNP chief executive for 22 years but resigned in March 2023 after taking responsibility for misleading the media about the party's membership numbers.

He met Nicola Sturgeon at an SNP youth event in 1988 and they had been a couple since 2003 prior to their marriage seven years later.

On Monday, Sturgeon announced on social media that the marriage was over, saying the decision was made with a "heavy heart".

She posted on Instagram: "To all intents and purposes we have been separated for some time now and feel it is time to bring others up to speed with where we are.

"It goes without saying that we still care deeply for each other, and always will."

She said she would not be commenting further.