15 per cent of solemn (jury) case applications were turned down in 2023/24
A former SNP MP who is also a leading lawyer has said it is “absolutely astonishing” that Peter Murrell has qualified for legal aid in his embezzlement case.
Joanna Cherry KC was admitted as an advocate in 1995 and has been a ‘silk’ (an elite lawyer appointed by the monarch) since 2009. She returned to the Scottish bar after losing her seat in 2024.
Murrell made no plea when he appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court in March in connection to a police investigation into the whereabouts of £600,000 of ring-fenced donations to the party.
It emerged on Wednesday that the Scottish Legal Aid Board (SLAB) approved an application for solemn legal aid by the former SNP chief executive’s lawyers on April 30.