Justice operating in murky half-light

“NOT only must justice be done – it must also be seen to be done.”

This 90-year-old legal principle remains the bedrock of a fair system.

But it’s becoming increasingly difficult to argue Scottish justice now meets the famous benchmark.

Journalists find it increasingly difficult to obtain basic details about Scottish court proceedings.

And getting information we are legally entitled to out of Police Scotland is an uphill battle waged on a daily basis.

Today, the Record reveals the latest development in the creeping secrecy in the Scottish justice system relates to proceeds of crime.

In a disturbing development, authorities are covering up the identities of criminals and the details of their ill-gotten gains.

It goes without saying that individuals dealt with under proceeds of crime legislation should be named and shamed.

It is astonishing - and scandalous - this is being withheld.

The Crown claim tough new data protection laws mean they have no choice but to redact the names of criminals.

But politicians insist the General Data Protection Regulation should not be exploited in this way.

Almost everyone agrees that justice cannot happen in the dark.

Yet in Scotland the very best we can say is that it is operating in a murky half-light.