‘Bullying row’ police chief ’s secret summit with senior justice of f icial
SCOTLAND’S Justice Secretary is facing fresh accusations of interference in Police Scotland after it emerged a senior civil servant held a secret meeting with the Chief Constable.
Labour yesterday demanded details from Michael Matheson after it was revealed officials met Phil Gormley amid a row about the MSP intervening to block his return to work.
The Scottish Police Authority (SPA) board decided on November 7 to allow Mr Gormley to resume his post.
Days later, Mr Matheson complained to then SPA chairman Andrew Flanagan about ‘due process’ not being followed.
It has now emerged that senior justice civil servant Paul Johnston met Mr Gormley at the height of the standoff, on November 30, after lawyers for the Chief Constable raised concerns about the intervention.
A spokesman for Mr Gormley’s legal team at Burness Paul LLP told the Sunday Herald: ‘My client discussed and restated his aim of returning to his position of Chief Constable.’
Mr Matheson told MSPs last week that letting the SPA go ahead with the decision would have been ‘unacceptable’ due to ‘clear deficiencies’ in its decision-making process.
Mr Gormley has been on ‘special leave’ since September amid allegations of bullying.
Scottish Labour justice spokesman Daniel Johnson said: ‘Michael Matheson should come clean on the Phil Gormley case. The past year has shattered public confidence in the Scottish Government’s handling of policing. Full disclosure of the actions taken by Mr Matheson and his officials relating to the Gormley case would be a key step in rebuilding that trust.’
Mr Johnson has written to Mr Matheson asking for ‘a full record of the interactions you and your officials have had with regard to Mr Gormley’s employment status and the investigation into his conduct’.
Last week, Government officials said no minutes had been taken of Mr Matheson’s meeting with Mr Flanagan – and there were no details to make public.
But Scottish Liberal Democrat justice spokesman Liam McArthur said: ‘This report means last week’s parliamentary statement by the Justice Secretary was incomplete.
‘A senior official meeting Mr Gormley is something that should have been mentioned, given the claims by his legal team that he raised his employment status at the meeting. Michael Matheson needs to return to parliament to explain.’
He added: ‘The structure of governance of Police Scotland needs to be looked at again. It will be embarrassing for Mr Matheson but that is too bad.’
The Scottish Government said Mr Matheson’s statement to parliament ‘clearly set out the reasons’ for his intervention.
A spokesman added: ‘This was followed up by a letter from the Director-General Education, Communities and Justice [Mr Johnston] to the Public Audit and Post-Legislative Scrutiny Committee on Friday, providing additional information.’
‘Should come clean’