Husband of former Scottish leader pleads guilty to embezzlement from party

LONDON (AP) — The estranged husband of former Scottish leader Nicola Sturgeon pleaded guilty Monday to embezzling more than 400,000 pounds ($540,000) from the Scottish National Party when he was its chief executive.

Peter Murrell, 62, was remanded into custody after admitting in the High Court in Edinburgh that he used the money to buy a motorhome, two cars and luxury goods.

Murrell was originally arrested in April 2023 in an investigation into the SNP’s finances and was charged in April 2024.

Sturgeon, who dominated Scottish politics for almost a decade, was cleared of wrongdoing last year, about two years after she unexpectedly resigned as first minister of Scotland’s semi-autonomous government. She served eight years in the role.

Murrell and Sturgeon announced they were divorcing last year after about 15 years of marriage.

The investigation cast a cloud over Sturgeon for almost two years and raised questions about the party’s leadership as Police Scotland probed how more than 600,000 pounds ($810,000) designated for a Scottish independence campaign was spent.

Former party treasurer Colin Beattie was also cleared. He and Sturgeon were arrested and questioned about three years ago and released on bail.

Sturgeon led her party to dominance in Scottish politics and refashioned the SNP from a largely one-issue party into a dominant governing force with liberal social positions. She guided her party during three U.K.-wide elections and two Scottish elections, and led Scotland through the coronavirus pandemic, winning praise for her clear, measured communication style.

But Sturgeon left office amid divisions in the SNP without meeting her main goal — independence from the United Kingdom for the nation of 5.5 million people.

Former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell, center arrives at Edinburgh High Court, in Edinburgh, Scotland, Monday May 25, 2026. ( Jane Barlow/PA via AP)

FILE - Scotland's First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon, is interviewed, May 17, 2022, in Washington. BBC reports on Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2023 Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon is to resign after 8 years in office (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — A truck carrying iron rods and extra passengers overturned on a major highway early Monday in central Bangladesh, leaving at least 15 people dead and 10 others injured, police said.

The crash happened after the driver lost control around 5 a.m. at Soratoil area in Tangail district, 83 kilometers (52 miles) northwest of the nation's capital, Dhaka, said local police chief Fuad Hossain.

Hossain said the truck was carrying hitchhiking passengers and travelling from Dhaka to the northern region as vacationers began traveling ahead of the Islamic festival Eid al-Adha on Thursday. The truck overturned and killed them at the scene, he said.

The official said most of the passengers were day laborers and were traveling to join their families for the festival.

Witnesses told TV stations that they rushed to the scene after hearing noise and started rescuing passengers who got trapped.

Road accidents kill thousands every year in the nation of more than 170 million people because of lax oversight of traffic rules, bad road conditions and unskilled driving.

People look on after a truck carrying iron rods and extra passengers overturned on a highway in central district of Tangail, Bangladesh, Monday, May 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Sohel Talukder)