Former Scottish National Party (SNP) chief executive Peter Murrell has been jailed after pleading guilty to embezzling £400,000 from the party between 2010 and 2022, prompting renewed calls for greater transparency and accountability within the organisation.
Murrell's sentencing at the High Court in Edinburgh marks a significant development in the long-running Operation Branchform investigation, which examined the handling of party funds.
Following the sentencing, Police Scotland described the inquiry as one of the most detailed investigations undertaken by the force in recent years.
Assistant Chief Constable Stuart Houston, who led the investigation, said the case demonstrated that individuals who misuse positions of trust would be held accountable.
"Operation Branchform has been an extremely detailed, complex and intricate enquiry, carried out over a protracted period of time in order to ensure a thorough investigation which fully exposed the extent of this wrongdoing, committed over a sustained period of time."
