SerpApi.Org
Lawyers for Peter Murrell claimed £4,831 of legal aid, despite him making £50,000 from the sale of his Portuguese villa.
Scottish Legal Aid Board (SLAB) figures show Nicola Sturgeon’s husband was paid taxpayers’ money to fund the defence team for his fraud case led by John Scullion KC.
The total could increase, because lawyers have four months after the conclusion of proceedings to claim funds from the SLAB.
It has also emerged that the cost to the public purse of the criminal investigation into Scottish National Party (SNP) finances that uncovered Murrell’s crimes had risen to nearly £3.5m.
The Crown Office prosecution service said its costs had risen to almost £1.1m, in addition to nearly £2.2m by Police Scotland. There was also a police overtime bill of more than £100,000.
Last month, Murrell was jailed for more than five years after he admitted embezzling more than £400,000 from the SNP while he was chief executive.
His 12-year theft spree coincided with his wife, Nicola Sturgeon, being the party’s deputy leader and leader.
Legal aid is typically granted to people who cannot afford to pay for legal help themselves, though in some cases, they still need to make their own contribution. Applicants are allowed to have a disposable income of up to £222 per week to qualify.
Murrell was granted legal aid on April 30 last year and it was understood he qualified because £700,000 of his property and pension assets were frozen.
These assets – such as a luxury motorhome he bought with embezzled cash and his equity in the marital home – were excluded from the legal aid eligibility calculation.
However, his villa in the Algarve was not frozen and The Telegraph disclosed it was sold in October last year – six months after he was granted legal aid.
The property overlooking the Nossa Senhora da Rocha beach was jointly owned by Murrell, his sister and family friends before it was sold to a Portuguese investment company.
Murrell made £50,000 from the sale, The Telegraph revealed, far exceeding the estimated £30,000 cost of his legal bill.
‘Insult to taxpayers’
Stephen Kerr, the Scottish Tories’ justice spokesman, said: “Ordinary Scots who play by the rules will be astonished that they are helping to pay the legal costs of a man who admitted embezzling more than £400,000. This is yet another insult to taxpayers and another indictment of the SNP’s broken justice system.
“Scottish Conservatives have repeatedly warned that legal aid has drifted far from its original purpose. Ministers must stop dithering, shut these loopholes and ensure public money is spent supporting victims – not criminals.”
Murrell used the funds he embezzled from the SNP to make hundreds of extravagant purchases, including a £124,550 motorhome, cars, jewellery, luxury homewares and designer stationery.
He then falsified accounting records and created fake invoices in an attempt to cover up his crimes, which took place between August 2010 and October 2022.
Ms Sturgeon has vehemently denied that she knew her husband, from whom she has separated, was using SNP funds for luxury purchases.
Murrell decided not to appeal the five years, three months prison sentence, which he is serving at HMP Dumfries. He intends to repay the stolen amount from his frozen assets, and a proceeds-of-crime hearing has been set for September.
SNP ministers this week unveiled a consultation on reforming Scotland’s legal aid system, including a proposal to claw back money paid out.
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There is no clawback of legal aid north of the Border, unlike in England and Wales, meaning Murrell will not have to repay it when his assets are unfrozen.
A Scottish Government spokesman said: “Decisions on whether to grant or refuse applications for legal aid are taken independently by the Scottish Legal Aid Board, based on clear eligibility criteria.
“In this case, SLAB has carefully reviewed the matter at a senior level and confirmed that the application was handled thoroughly, properly and entirely in line with all legal aid rules and guidance.”
