Former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell sold a villa in Portugal after he was granted legal aid for his embezzlement court case, it has emerged.
The 61-year-old disposed of the villa in the Algarve last October, six months after the Scottish Legal Aid Board (SLAB) approved his application for representation during his court appearance on embezzlement charges.
Opposition MSPs have asked how he was granted legal aid when he clearly had substantial funds at his disposal.
The property overlooking the Nossa Senhora da Rocha beach was jointly owned by Murrell, his sister and family friends before it was sold to a Portuguese investment company, according to the Telegraph.
The price obtained is not publicly available but similar villas in the resort are on the market for between €400,000 and €600,000 (£346,000 and £518,000).
Murrell has admitted embezzling more than £400,000 from the SNP and will be sentenced on 23 June. He made a successful application for legal aid on 30 Apri last year, while still registered as an owner of the villa.
Some of his assets were frozen in June 2024 after he was arrested as part of Operation Branchform, the police investigation into the SNP’s finances.
His lawyers have indicated that he will offer to repay the stolen money with his frozen assets.
Stephen Kerr, the Scottish Conservative justice spokesman, questioned how Murrell was allowed legal aid while owning a holiday home in Portugal.
“This absolutely stinks and undermines public confidence in Scotland’s legal aid system,” he said.
Scottish Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie said: “This is a national scandal. Not only has Peter Murrell scammed SNP members, independence supporters, and potentially taxpayers, but now it seems he has scammed the legal aid system.
“The cheek of a man on his income, with his lifestyle and with a holiday home in Portugal, pleading poverty to exploit a legal aid system his party has hollowed out while in government is not only staggering but is a slap in the face to Scottish taxpayers.
“If Murrell’s lawyers are content that he will be able to repay the SNP members he stole from, there is absolutely no way he can claim that he can’t repay his legal aid.
“He must pay it back, and he should use the proceeds of the sale of his holiday home to do so.”
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