Video footage released from Police Scotland's Operation Branchform shows former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell being questioned about a £400,000 spending spree using party funds. The clips, recorded at Falkirk Police station on April 18, 2024, capture Murrell's responses to questions about the purchase of an £81,000 Jaguar car via a false invoice and £19,000 worth of luxury pens.
Jaguar Purchase and False Invoice
In the first clip, recorded around 11:30 am, a detective asks Murrell about the Jaguar purchase. The detective states: "You make that false invoice so you could account for the purchase of a motor vehicle." Murrell replies: "No comment." The detective then adds: "I'll take you back to the definition of embezzlement... Here we have false entries. Here we have forged documents."
Amazon Purchases Across Multiple Cards
In a second clip from around 4:40 pm, the detective focuses on Murrell's use of Amazon, describing it as the "perfect foil" for hiding purchases. The detective says: "They are a retailer you can hide things behind. You can describe it as anything because they sell everything and they deliver quicker. Easy to hide. Easy to 'mis code'. Easy to buy things and call them something else if you buy them from Amazon."
The detective also notes that Murrell spread transactions across three cards to avoid detection, saying: "You spread the Amazon transactions across three cards. But if all your Amazon purchases were on your card it would just be Amazon, Amazon, Amazon. It would be non stop. That's why you use Amazon so much." It later emerged that Murrell used his own SNP charge card along with those of two other staff members.
£19,000 Worth of Luxury Pens
In the third clip, around 5 pm, the detective questions Murrell about £19,000 worth of luxury pens. The detective says: "It is quite frankly an outrageous amount of money to be spending on pens in my opinion. What about your opinion? You bought them. You must have an opinion on them, Peter. What does the SNP need around £19,000 of luxury pens for?" Murrell's response is not clear in the footage.
Following Murrell's court appearance earlier this month, it emerged that the spending included £4,225 on a Montblanc Starwalker World Time fountain pen and a Montblanc Meisterstück Moon Pearl, a modern version of the pen used by Roger Moore's James Bond in the 1983 film Octopussy. Two special Beatles editions designed by the same company were also purchased.
Background and Charges
Murrell was first arrested and interviewed at Falkirk Police station on April 5, 2024. He returned on April 18 for a second interview lasting around five hours. At the conclusion of the second interview, he was charged with embezzlement and released. The footage provides a rare glimpse into the police questioning as part of the ongoing Operation Branchform investigation into SNP finances.
