Have you got something to hide, minister? Minutes of police meeting ‘missing’
THE SNP has been accused of having ‘something to hide’ after it was revealed no minutes were taken of a controversial meeting between the Justice Secretary and police chiefs.
Discussions were held between Michael Matheson and the Scottish Police Authority about whether Chief Constable Phil Gormley should return to work while facing bullying claims.
Mr Matheson has been forced to defend his intervention over SPA plans which would have allowed Mr Gormley back to work despite an ongoing investigation.
He claims to have asked former SPA chairman Andrew Flanagan a series of questions over the process which led to Mr Flanagan rethinking a decision to invite Mr Gormley back to duties.
However, Mr Matheson has been accused by Mr Gormley’s lawyers of an ‘unlawful’ intervention.
It was revealed yesterday there are no minutes of his meeting with Mr Flanagan – despite Mr Matheson claiming ‘details’ had been taken by civil servants present.
Although saying in an interview he would publish any details of the meeting, his officials later admitted nothing was available to be released.
Last night, opponents criticised Mr Matheson and the SNP government, claiming they had ‘only made this situation worse’.
Scottish Tory justice spokesman Liam Kerr said: ‘Transparency and accountability have been a problem for the single force ever since its creation.
‘By failing to take minutes in relation to such an important decision, Michael Matheson has only made this situation worse.
‘The immediate suspicion of the public will be that the SNP government has something to hide.’
Mr Gormley has been on special leave since September after a number of senior officers accused him of bullying and misconduct. He denies the allegations against him. On November 7, the SPA board agreed unanimously that Mr Gormley could return to work, despite the ongoing probe.
Two days later they told Mr Matheson of the decision, and he urged them to ‘reconsider’ as this had not been cleared with watchdog the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner, acting Chief Constable Iain Livingstone, or those who raised complaints.
Yesterday, Mr Matheson was asked by BBC Radio Scotland who had been present in the meeting with Mr Flanagan on November 9 and he said: ‘There were civil servants present with me during the course of the meeting.’
Asked if there were minutes of the meeting, he responded: ‘The details of that meeting were taken at the time.’
He was then asked four times whether he would release the minutes, and said he was ‘happy’ to release any details he had. However, last night Scottish Government officials claimed that no minutes had been taken in the meeting – and that there were no details to make public.
This has led to questions over Mr Matheson’s claims over what was said in the meeting – and why minutes in such a vital meeting were not taken.
Labour justice spokesman Daniel Johnson said: ‘The Justice Secretary’s actions have turned a series of crises into a shambles.’
He added: ‘There must be a proper explanation given for why there was no recording of a meeting between the justice minister and the chair of an independent body where the suspension of a
‘Only made this situation worse’
senior police officer was discussed.’
Speaking to the BBC, Scottish Lib Dem leader Willie Rennie urged Mr Matheson to launch a probe into the single force’s structure and the ‘toxic’ SPA after a ‘myriad of issues’.
A Scottish Government spokesman said: ‘Police Scotland continues to provide an effective service in communities, based on the dedication and leadership of officers and staff. The new chair of the Scottish Police Authority has already undertaken to improve governance and decision-making at the SPA, and the Scottish Government will support that work.’