Calls for legal aid to be clawed back from Peter Murrell as lawyer estimates bill will top £30K

By GRAHAM GRANT, SCOTTISH HOME AFFAIRS EDITOR Published: 20:24, 9 June 2026 | Updated: 20:24, 9 June 2026 Legal aid chiefs are looking at ways to claw back taxpayer-funded lawyers’ fees from Peter Murrell as it emerged the bill could top £30,000. The Murrell case has sparked calls for reform of the legal aid system after the former SNP chief executive’s lawyer said the shamed former SNP chief executive had enough funds to pay back the £400,000 he embezzled from party coffers. There is no way of reclaiming criminal legal aid north of the Border - meaning taxpayers face paying out tens of thousands of pounds to Murrell’s legal team. Ministers are looking at possible reform to allow clawback of legal aid, while the Scottish Legal Aid Board (SLAB) said it was ‘considering if there are other legal measures that might be used to safeguard the legal aid fund’ - but would not disclose what this would involve. Simon Brown of the Scottish Solicitors Bar Association (SSBA) told the BBC’s Scotcast podcast there was a ‘lot of merit’ in changing the rules so that legal aid cash could be reclaimed from criminals. A prison van containing Peter Murrell leaves the High Court back in May He said: ‘It’s one of the blind spots in legal aid legislation just now. Criminal legal aid is very much all or nothing – you either qualify or you don’t, and there isn’t any mechanism to reclaim it, or make a part payment, or a contribution towards it.’ ‘That might change - and high-profile cases are usually the catalyst that brings about that type of change. ‘It’s likely there will be a new legal aid Bill in this parliament. I wouldn’t be surprised if something like this was part of that.’ Asked to speculate on the final legal aid bill for Murrell, Mr Brown said: ‘Legal aid depends on a number of things. ‘In this case, there will have been a lot of preparation because there will have been a lot of paperwork for his lawyers to go through… that’s where the bulk of the legal aid will be. ‘At a conservative estimate, it’s not going to be less than £30,000 – it depends on how much paperwork.’ Scottish Tory deputy leader Rachael Hamilton said: ‘It’s outrageous that someone with Murrell’s resources is getting legal aid. ‘If he had a shred of decency, he would repay it in full so taxpayers aren’t left footing the bill.’ Meanwhile, tycoon Sir Tom Hunter called on Murrell to pay his own legal bills. The multi-millionaire philanthropist said he was outraged to discover Murrell had qualified for help funding his defence. Sir Tom, who made his fortune from the Sport Division empire he founded, said it was ‘madness’ for the taxpayer to foot his legal aid bill. He said: ‘As everyone now knows, Peter Murrell has pled guilty to fraud. ‘He has defrauded some Scottish taxpayers, he has defrauded SNP supporters, who I assume are Scottish taxpayers because they have contributed money and he has spent it on hairdryers and campervans. ‘It’s unbelievable but he has said he is guilty. If I was an SNP supporter who had contributed their money and Peter Murrell had defrauded me, I am now being asked as a Scottish taxpayer to pay for his defence through legal aid. ‘That must be really galling if you contributed money.’ Murrell, 61, admitted using SNP money to buy luxury goods, jewellery, cosmetics, two cars and a motorhome, and lower-cost items such as chopsticks and hand cream. He is due to be sentenced later this month. A SLAB spokesman said no figures were yet available for Murrell’s legal aid bill. Inside the motorhome purchased by Peter Murrell with SNP funds He said: ‘Unlike civil legal aid, SLAB don’t have any specific powers in criminal legal aid to recover clawback any assets which may be released to Peter Murrell at the end of the case to offset the legal aid costs. ‘However, we are considering if there are other legal measures that might be used to safeguard the legal aid fund in this event. ‘We would work with the Scottish Government and the legal profession if it was decided that the current powers in criminal legal aid to recover assets which may be released at the end of a case to offset legal aid costs should be reviewed as part of the reform process.’ A Scottish Government spokesman said: ‘We are committed to reforming the legal aid system through legislation to be introduced this parliamentary year to ensure it works more effectively. ‘As part of this work, we are reviewing financial arrangements including contributions and clawback, to ensure they are fair, transparent, and deliver value for money for the public purse.’ No comments have so far been submitted. 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