The corrupt former SNP chief executive had a villa in Portugal believed to be worth hundreds of thousands of pounds.
Nicola Sturgeon’s disgraced husband sold his villa in Portugal after he was granted legal aid for his embezzlement case.
The Daily Telegraph reported that he sold the property in the Algarve in October – months after help for his legal costs was approved.
Murrell is facing a jail sentence this month after pleading guilty to thieving over £400,000 when he was SNP chief executive.
The Record revealed last year he would receive taxpayer assistance for his defence after an application for legal aid was approved.
Some of his assets were frozen as part of Operation Branchform, but the villa in Portugal was not on the list.
The Telegraph speculated that the house could theoretically have been included in the legal aid eligibility calculation.
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.
Murrell had his legal aid application approved in April last year and the property was sold in October.
Similar villas in the resort are on the market for between £346,000 and £518,000.
John Scullion KC, who represents Murrell, told the High Court of Edinburgh this month that his client would be able to pay back the £400,000 he embezzled with his frozen assets.
Tory MSP Stephen Kerr said: “This absolutely stinks and undermines public confidence in Scotland’s legal aid system,” he said.
“The idea that someone whose assets include a holiday home should be eligible for legal aid makes an absolute mockery of our justice system. Having stolen from SNP donors, and it seems the public purse, Peter Murrell is now fleecing the taxpayer for his legal costs.
“This is yet another unacceptable strand to this enormous SNP scandal.”
A Scottish Legal Aid Board spokesman said: “We cannot comment on the specifics of an individual’s grant of legal aid.
“Any grant of legal aid is made on the condition that we must be advised of any change of financial circumstances during the lifetime of a case.
“If any material change means the client is no longer eligible to continue to receive legal aid, we will terminate the grant.
“We have been kept aware of Peter Murrell’s circumstances. He continues to meet the tests we have to apply when deciding whether to continue a grant of legal aid.”
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