In her first interview since her estranged husband Peter Murrell admitted to embezzling over £400,000 from the Scottish National Party (SNP), former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has expressed feelings of unjust punishment, insisting she is not accountable for his actions. Speaking on BBC One’s *Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg*, Sturgeon reaffirmed her innocence, claiming she was unaware of any wrongdoing related to the party’s finances.
Emphasising Innocence
Sturgeon, 55, vehemently denied any knowledge of the luxury motor home purchased with embezzled funds, which was allegedly parked out of sight at her mother-in-law’s home. She stated that the vehicle had been logged as a standard ‘motor vehicle’ in the SNP’s accounts, which she claimed did not raise any alarms.
The former First Minister clarified that she rarely visited the property during the two years the motor home was parked there, adding, “If I saw it, I would probably have assumed it was the neighbour’s.” She maintained that her limited visits meant the vehicle was not something she consciously registered.
Accountability and Transparency
Sturgeon faced a barrage of questions regarding her estranged husband’s actions and the circumstances leading to the investigation. She addressed concerns about whistleblowers, firmly stating that any issues raised were focused on the allocation of funds intended for campaigning around a second independence referendum, not embezzlement.
“Until probably early 2023, there was no suggestion that what was being looked into in terms of finances was potential embezzlement,” Sturgeon explained, adding that the SNP had been under scrutiny for the use of the £600,000 raised for the referendum campaign. “These things have become very conflated,” she noted.
Refusal to Apologise
Sturgeon made it clear that she would not apologise for her former husband’s crimes, stating, “I’m not going to contribute
