Operation Branchform

Operation Branchform was a Police Scotland investigation into fundraising fraud in the Scottish National Party (SNP) that was launched in July 2021 and concluded in March 2025. The investigation initially concerned allegations that £666,953 raised by the SNP since 2017 specifically to campaign in a proposed second Scottish independence referendum was in part improperly spent on other activities. Operation Branchform uncovered extensive embezzlement perpetrated between 2010 and 2022 by Peter Murrell, former SNP chief executive and husband of former party leader and First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon. Murrell admitted to embezzling over £400,000 from the party in May 2026.