The motorhome purchased by Peter Murrell with embezzled SNP money was only ever driven for four miles before being seized by police.The £124,550 luxury campervan was the most high profile of the items bought by the party’s former chief executive using money he embezzled.The Niesmann and Bischoff Smove 7.4e was seized by police in April 2023.Images of the motorhome and its well-appointed interior have now been released by the Crown Office.Further details of Murrell’s purchases of vehicles, which were for his own use rather than the party’s, became public when he returned to the High Court in Edinburgh on Tuesday.Advocate depute Alan Cameron KC said a significant part of Murrell’s embezzlement was spent on three vehicles.The luxury motorhome was seized by police from the home of Peter Murrell’s mother (Crown Office/PA) (Crown Office)The first was a Volkswagen Golf bought in 2016 for £32,989.A direct transfer from the SNP’s accounts of £16,489 was used to meet the balance of this, after Murrell traded in another car.The prosecution narrative said: “The car was not an SNP asset and was used only by the accused. He was not entitled to a company car in his role as CEO.”In September 2019 he traded in the Golf for a Jaguar i-Pace, an electric vehicle worth £81,277.He paid a deposit of just over £12,000 which came from fraudulent expense claims.A balance of £57,500 was paid in November 2019 using two direct transfers from the SNP account.Murrell, who is now 61, appears to have deliberately transferred less than £30,000 each time as no single payment greater than this could be made.The luxury motorhome was kitted out ‘exactly as a motorhome used for pleasure would be’, prosecutors said (Crown Office/PA)A false invoice for the Jaguar i-Pace was created where is was labelled as “stage payment” for SNP events which had to be postponed because of the pandemic.He sold the i-Pace in August 2021, receiving the £47,000 proceeds into his own account.The motorhome was the largest single item purchased among Murrell’s embezzlement.He used the SNP’s charge card and a series of direct transfers to pay the £124,550 cost.The prosecution narrative said: “The motorhome was delivered to the accused at the Halbeath Industrial Estate on January 22 2021 and driven by him to his mother’s home in Dunfermline where it remained until it was seized by police officers on April 5, 2023.“When seized the odometer showed that the vehicle had only ever been driven for four miles.”Molton Brown toiletries in the bathroom of a motorhome (PA)Another false invoice was created to hide the purchase and it was described as a van rather than a motorhome.The narrative said: “Many details were removed, including those of the specification and additional options chosen by the accused which included security, tracking and navigation systems and a television.”Auditors later added the vehicle to the party’s list of assets “but it was never used or seen by any other party member or employee”.Mr Cameron told the court: “The accused was the registered keeper of the vehicle which was insured for him only to drive for social, domestic and pleasure purposes.“After its purchase the accused suggested to other party employees that the motorhome could have been used for campaigning purposes, but it was not.“When seized by police officers there were no campaign materials or other SNP paraphernalia within and the motorhome was not branded.“It was configured exactly as a motorhome used for pleasure would be.”Murrell also bought guides to “inspirational journeys around Scotland, England and Wales and Ireland in a campervan or motorhome”.The seizure of the motorhome by police was first reported by the Scottish Mail On Sunday in April 2023.It had been parked at a house in Fife belonging to Murrell’s mother.Nicola Sturgeon has said she was not aware of the vehicle until after the reporting in the media.
Peter Murrell’s £124k motorhome bought with embezzled cash had 4 miles on the clock
The £124,550 campervan was the most high profile of item bought by the disgraced chief exec with stolen funds











