Government refusal to release Salmond papers a ‘slap in face’
Documents withheld from inquiry
THE Scottish Government has refused to release information to a Holyrood inquiry into the Alex Salmond affair.
Nicola Sturgeon’s administration has cited legal privilege as a reason for why some material will not be disclosed.
Lib Dem MSP Alex Cole-Hamilton said: “This evasiveness on the part of the Scottish Government does not serve them, or the people of Scotland, well.
“It is a slap in the face to not allow the parliamentary inquiry access to unredacted versions of these documents.
“The First Minister should acknowledge where the public interest lies and order unredacted versions of these documents to be handed over.”
In 2018, Sturgeon’s Government investigated allegations of sexual misconduct against Salmond when he was first minister. Salmond pursued a judicial review and was vindicated when the internal investigation was ruled to be biased and unlawful.
A committee of MSPs was set up to investigate a fiasco that has cost more than £500,000 of public money. As part of the committee’s work, MSPs asked the Government for information relating to the judicial review.
In response, the Government claimed that “legal professional privilege” restricts what can be handed over: “The Scottish Government asserts its privilege over all communications it holds about or in relation to legal advice to the Scottish Government and litigation involving the Scottish Government.
“That is not to say that the Scottish Government will not give a full account of its legal position at various points, just that, in accordance with usual practice, it will not disclose the internal processes of taking and receiving advice or the scope and nature of any requests for legal advice or any legal advice provided.”
However, the Scottish Ministerial Code says legal advice can be published “if, in exceptional circumstances, ministers feel that the balance of public interest lies in disclosing either the source or the contents of legal advice on a particular matter, the Law Officers must be consulted and their prior consent obtained”.
Information provided to the committee includes an 11-page statement and two documents totalling 14 pages. One of the documents includes six pages that are redacted in full.
Another important part of the inquiry centres on meetings between Sturgeon and Salmond during the misconduct probe.
A Scottish Tory spokesman said: “Transparency is key to ensuring the public know exactly what went on.”