By GB News (Politics) | Created at 2026-09-14 21:46:33 | Updated at 2026-09-14 23:04:21
1 hour ago
Ex-Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has been reported to the police after being accused of handling stolen goods.
Ms Sturgeon, whose estranged husband Peter Murrell was jailed for embezzlement, was reported to Police Scotland by a pro-independence campaigner.
Stuart Campbell, who runs the online blog Wings over Scotland, confirmed he had submitted a formal complaint.
He claimed the former SNP leader was guilty of "reset", an offence under Scots law which applies to a person in possession of property stolen by someone else.
The law can even apply to those who knew an item was stolen when they received it, or if the recipient was unaware the item was stolen but decided to keep it anyway.
Writing on the pro-independence blog, Mr Campbell accused Ms Sturgeon of being "in the possession of numerous high-value items paid for by her husband, Peter Murrell, with money embezzled from the Scottish National Party".
Ms Sturgeon, who last month vowed not to visit her husband at HMP Dumfries, has consistently denied any wrongdoing.
She has previously said she was horrified to learn that some of the gifts Murrell gave her had been bought using embezzled funds.
Nicola Sturgeon married her husband Peter Murrell in 2010
PA
She said: "I am not guilty of that embezzlement, so nothing that belongs to me should be part of that, rightly, it should not be part of that."
Ms Sturgeon also told the BBC there would be a legal process to recover the £400,000 embezzled by Murrell.
She added: "I am not guilty of that embezzlement, so nothing that belongs to me should be part of that, rightly, it should not be part of that."
However, the former First Minister was photographed with a number of items bought with stolen funds, including a £425 necklace from a jeweller in Shetland.
Police secured the home of Murrell and Ms Sturgeon in April 2023
GETTY
It remains unclear whether Ms Sturgeon retained any items given to her by Murrell or whether they were seized during a police raid on their home in April 2023.
Murrell, who served as SNP chief executive for more than two decades, was sentenced to five years and three months in prison in June this year.
He admitted to embezzling party funds between 2010 and 2022.
Ms Sturgeon has consistently denied knowing that her husband was using SNP money for personal luxury purchases, including a £124,550 motorhome.
In his blog post, Mr Campbell said: "I have for the past three months sought clarity from Police Scotland on whether the law of reset applies to Nicola Sturgeon. No response has yet been received, and absent one I must assume that it does.
"Ms Sturgeon is therefore committing, and by her own admission, intends to continue to commit, the offence of reset, which under [Section 3] of the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995 carries a maximum penalty of five years' imprisonment if imposed by a sheriff court, or an unlimited term in the High Court."
Mr Campbell continued: "That is a very serious matter and cannot properly be ignored by the police on the grounds of Ms Sturgeon's status. The crime has undoubtedly, on the facts, been committed and ought to be pursued."
Ms Sturgeon's lawyer, Aamer Anwar, rejected the claims in June, insisting his client held no legal ownership over any embezzled property.
He said: "Under Scots law, Ms Sturgeon is an innocent third party but would never have legal ownership of property that has been embezzled – however, these are matters best addressed by [the] Crown Office.
"None of the items in question were ordered by Ms Sturgeon and to suggest otherwise would be wholly inaccurate and defamatory."
Ms Sturgeon was arrested and questioned in June 2023 as part of Operation Branchform, the wider police investigation into SNP finances.
Police Scotland confirmed in March 2025 that its investigation into Sturgeon had been dropped.
Murrell was initially charged with embezzling £460,000 from the SNP, though this figure was reduced to around £400,000 as part of a plea agreement with the Crown Office.
Several items were later removed from the list of goods linked to the embezzled funds, including women's underwear, luxury hair products, books by Sturgeon's favourite authors, and female sportswear.
A proceeds of crime hearing aimed at recovering the embezzled funds had been due to take place today but has now been postponed until December 7.
A Police Scotland spokesman said: "We have received information and will respond in due course."
GB News has reached out to Mr Anwar for further comment.
