Former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell has appeared in court charged with embezzlement amid an investigation into the party’s funding and finances.
Murrell, who is separated from former first minister Nicola Sturgeon, made no plea to the single charge when he appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Thursday.
The 60-year-old was granted bail with his next court appearance yet to be confirmed.
Ms Sturgeon and ex-party treasurer MSP Colin Beattie have also been arrested and released without charge as part of Police Scotland’s long-running Operation Branchform.
In January, Ms Sturgeon announced she had split from Murrell.
The pair, who first met via the SNP in 1988 and became a couple in 2003, married in 2010.
Ms Sturgeon announced their separation in a post on Instagram, revealing they had been “separated for some time now” but “still care deeply for each other, and always will”.
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