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Former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell will return to court next month for a preliminary hearing.
The 61-year-old estranged husband of Nicola Sturgeon was charged in April 2024 following Operation Branchform, a long-running Police Scotland investigation into the party’s finances.
He now faces a preliminary hearing at the High Court in Glasgow on February 20.
A key figure in the SNP, he was charged with embezzlement and made no plea or declaration after making an initial appearance at Edinburgh Sheriff Court in March last year.
The Mail revealed last month that Mr Murrell would appear in court before the Scottish election in May.
Mr Murrell was chief executive of the party for more than 20 years until he resigned in 2023 following a row over the party’s declining membership numbers.
A spokesman for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) said: ‘COPFS understand there is significant interest in this matter which is active under the Contempt of Court Act 1981.
‘The Lord Advocate and Solicitor General were not involved in decisions on this case.’
Ex SNP boss Peter Murrell giving evidence under oath to the Scottish Parliament Committee examiing the handling of harassment allegations against Alex Salmond
The FM in 2016 attending a film screening in Edinburgh with her now estranged husband
Ms Sturgeon repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and was informed by police in March last year she was no longer under investigation.
At the time, she said: ‘I don’t think there was ever a scrap of evidence that I had done anything wrong.’
In January 2025, the former First Minister announced she and Mr Murrell had ‘decided to end’ their marriage.
Taxpayers are set to foot the bill for Mr Murrell’s legal costs. Solicitors acting for the ex-SNP chief executive had an application for legal aid approved last year – but no payments have yet been made.
A spokesman for the Scottish Legal Aid Board previously said: ‘When assessing an applicant’s eligibility for legal aid we look at their financial position at the time of their application to ensure they meet tests set by legal aid legislation.
‘This includes information they give us about their salary, the amount of money they have in the bank and any investments... to fund their own defence.
‘Peter Murrell’s application met the tests we have to apply when deciding whether to grant legal aid.’ The Mail revealed last week that overtime costs for the criminal investigation into the SNP’s finances have topped £100,000.
Overall spending by the cash-strapped force on Operation Branchform has risen by more than £60,000 in just six months.
Data released by Police Scotland states that total expenditure on the long-running probe for salaries and overtime has reached nearly £2.3million.
Another £460,000 is reported to have been spent by the Crown Office, giving a published total of £2.76million – but the figure could rise higher when final calculations are made.
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