Peter Murrell's next court date has been delayed until after the Holyrood election.
The former SNP chief executive had been due to appear at the High Court in Glasgow for a preliminary hearing on February 20.
The date was confirmed yesterday in the Court Rolls, the list of advanced court business.
But shortly before 6pm, the Scottish Courts and Tribunal Service issued an update, stating the date had been put back to May 25 and the location changed to Edinburgh.
The Court, having granted an application, has discharged the preliminary hearing scheduled for 20th February. The Preliminary hearing will now take place on 25 May 2026 at the High Court in Edinburgh.
The change was made under Section 75A of the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995, which allows courts to 'discharge', or cancel, dates and fix new ones.
The 61-year-old estranged husband of Nicola Sturgeon was charged in April 2024 following Operation Branchform, a Police Scotland investigation into the party's finances.
A key figure in the SNP, he was charged with embezzlement and made no plea or declaration after making an initial appearance at Edinburgh Sheriff Court in March last year.
Mr Murrell was chief executive of the party for more than 20 years until he resigned in 2023 following a row over the party's declining membership numbers.
A spokesman for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) previously said: 'COPFS understand there is significant interest in this matter which is active under the Contempt of Court Act 1981.'
'The Lord Advocate and Solicitor General were not involved in decisions on this case.'
Ms Sturgeon denied any wrongdoing and was informed by police in March last year she was no longer under investigation. At the time, she said: 'I don't think there was ever a scrap of evidence that I had done anything wrong.'
In January 2025, the former First Minister announced she and Mr Murrell had 'decided to end' their marriage.
Taxpayers are set to foot the bill for Mr Murrell's legal costs. Solicitors acting for the ex-SNP chief executive had an application for legal aid approved last year - but no payments have yet been made.
A spokesman for the Scottish Legal Aid Board previously said: 'When assessing an applicant's eligibility for legal aid we look at their financial position at the time of their application to ensure they meet tests set by legal aid legislation.'
'This includes information they give us about their salary, the amount of money they have in the bank and any investments... to fund their own defence.'
'Peter Murrell's application met the tests.'
The Mail recently revealed that overtime costs for the criminal investigation into the SNP's finances have topped £100,000.
Overall spending by the cash-strapped force on the Operation Branchform investigation has risen by more than £60,000 in just six months.
Data released by Police Scotland states that total expenditure on the long-running probe for salaries and overtime has reached nearly £2.3million.
Another £460,000 is reported to have been spent by the Crown Office, giving a published total of £2.76million - but the figure could rise higher when final calculations are made.