So why does the SNP need £19,000 worth of pens? Moment Peter Murrell was caught out as new videos show Nicola Sturgeon’s ex-husband refusing to answer police grilling him over embezzlement

Peter Murrell’s SNP spending spree, using more than £400,000 of embezzled money, was revealed as detectives traced purchases of luxury Montblanc pens and Le Creuset cookware.

Officers became suspicious after discovering large amounts of party funds were being spent on high-end lifestyle products despite little money remaining in SNP accounts.

A detective flagged purchases such as Le Creuset Mickey Mouse ramekins and a ‘steel zen teapot’ but found no record of them in the party’s accounting system.

This set off alarm bells and raised suspicions of criminality, as all spending on behalf of the SNP must be recorded.

This trail led investigators to Murrell and marked the beginning of his downfall; This decline culminated today with his sentencing to five years in prison.

Nicola Sturgeon’s estranged husband refused to answer questions as detectives grilled him about his embezzlement and what he would tell party members whose money he stole.

Police Scotland released footage of interviews with former SNP chief executive; these images show him sitting quietly and expressionless as officers investigate his crimes.

Murrell steadfastly refused to answer any questions, including about his apparent dependence on Amazon and why £19,000 of SNP funds were spent on luxury items, including Montblanc sets.

He is seen in the interview room of a small police station with his lawyer, whose face is pixelated.

Murrell, 61, wears a checkered shirt and listens impassively as a detective questions him about fraud.

The meetings took place in April 2024, the same day he was accused of embezzlement.

Last month Murrell admitted embezzling more than £400,000 of party funds.

The case follows the long-running Operation Branchform into SNP funding, which cost more than £3 million.

Murrell’s estranged wife Nicola Sturgeon also said “no comment” when questioned by police but was not charged.

Scottish Conservative Party leader Russell Findlay said: ‘Just like his wife’s ‘no comment Nicola’, Peter Murrell has brazenly chosen to obstruct legitimate questions from detectives.

‘By doing this the former SNP boss has increased the multimillion cost of the justice process with no regard for Scotland’s taxpayers.

‘There must be an investigation.’

The detective was heard telling Murrell “your behavior and embezzlement must have had a negative impact on the business.” [of the SNP]’.

The officer says: ‘There must have been decisions that could not be made because the cash reserves were too low.

‘And part of the reason they’re low is because you’re stealing from them.

‘What would you say to those people, those members, who ask you this?

‘What are you going to tell them?’

The detective also tells Murrell, “Amazon was the perfect foil for you because they are a retailer you can hide transactions behind.”

The clerk says: ‘They sell everything so you can describe it as anything and they deliver fast.

‘But easy to hide, easy to miscode [in SNP accounts]It’s easy to buy things and call them something else if you buy from Amazon.

‘And you spread Amazon transactions across three cards.

‘If all your Amazon purchases were with your own card, it would just be Amazon, Amazon, Amazon, without interruption.

The famous motorhome seized by the police

Another of Murrell’s purchases was a wine coaster

‘That’s why you use Amazon so much, right?’

Murrell responds quietly: ‘No comment.’

The detective also says more than £19,000 was spent on ‘pencils alone’.

He says: ‘Frankly, I think it’s a huge amount of money to spend on pens.

‘What about your opinion?

‘You bought them. You must have an idea about them, Peter.

‘Why does the SNP need over £19,000 in luxury pens?’

Murrell politely nodded and responded with ‘no comment’.

The Scottish Mail on Sunday revealed at the weekend that Murrell had insisted the SNP would willingly report the crime to police just hours after buying a luxury caravan with money he embezzled from the party.

In 2020, Murrell was chief executive of the SNP, giving evidence to MSPs about the party’s disciplinary procedures.

He told them that although the party had never had to report a member to the police, it would do so if it uncovered ‘clear criminal conduct’.

He then discussed how the SNP would report MSPs to parliament and other bodies in the event of an alleged ‘misuse of funds’.

At the time, his comments seemed unremarkable.

But in light of his criminal conviction, they now seem incredibly arrogant.