NICOLA Sturgeon has responded after her estranged husband Peter Murrell was remanded in custody after pleading guilty to embezzling over £400k from the SNP.
Murrell, the party's former chief executive, admitted the charges when he appeared at the High Court in Edinburgh on Monday morning.
Murrell was charged with embezzling the funds from the SNP between August 2010 and October 2022.
He admitted an amended indictment which reduced the amount of the embezzled money down from more than £459,000 to £400,310.65.
Posting on Instagram after the guilty plea, Sturgeon said she had “no knowledge or suspicion whatsoever” that Murrell was “using SNP funds for personal purposes”.
She said she was “utterly appalled” he had done so, adding that she “could not begin to understand why”.
The former SNP leader said her reaction to her former partner’s guilty plea was “difficult to put into words”.
She added: "I am angry, hurt, sad and very distressed about the impact of his actions on family, friends and the SNP.
"To be deceived and let down by a husband I loved and trusted has caused me acute pain. Why he acted as he did is, and always will be, beyond my comprehension."
Sturgeon went on: "To be clear: I had no knowledge or suspicion whatsoever that he was using SNP funds for personal purposes. I am utterly appalled that he did so and cannot begin to understand why. That I was fully cleared after a thorough investigation underlines that these are not my crimes. I was misled just as others were.
"I know that there will be political discussion in light of what has happened, and I understand why. However, for me this has also been a profound personal trauma. I need to remain focused on recovering from that and building a new phase of life. I will be making no further comment."
Until he stood down in 2023 during the leadership race to succeed Sturgeon, Murrell had been chief executive of the SNP for more than 20 years.
They had previously been one of the most powerful couples in UK politics for many years, with Sturgeon serving for more than eight years as Scottish first minister and SNP leader, while Murrell was the chief executive of the party.
In January last year, Sturgeon announced she and Murrell had “decided to end” their marriage.
