Salmond will tell court that complaint was settled
Former First Minister will tell court that his misconduct complaint was resolved in 2013
FORMER First Minister Alex Salmond will tell a court he has already been investigated over allegations of sexual misconduct and settled the complaint.
He has lodged papers at the Court of Session challenging the Scottish Government’s bid to launch a fresh investigation after a change in its internal complaints process.
Police Scotland has already confirmed it is looking into allegations of sexual misconduct made by two women.
Mr Salmond denies he has harassed anyone or been involved in criminality.
We can reveal Mr Salmond will argue that one of the complaints was dealt with in 2013 as part of an ‘informal’ procedure.
He claims the complaint about his inappropriate behaviour was settled at that time and he apologised to the woman involved.
The Scottish Government continues to insist it has no ‘written record’ of a complaint, but does not deny a more informal meeting took place.
Details of Mr Salmond’s legal battle plans come as it was reported yesterday that ‘several’ complaints have been made to the SNP against him in recent weeks.
ALEX Salmond’s legal battle with the Scottish Government will be fought on the grounds a complaint about his conduct had already been dealt with five years ago.
The former First Minister claims there should not have been a fresh investigation into the allegations.
He has now lodged a formal submission with the Court of Session ahead of a judicial review hearing. A schedule providing details of when the case will be called is expected in the coming days.
The submission says the Scottish Government should not have launched a new probe in January 2018 into allegations from a female member of staff about his conduct in 2013. It claims the complaint was raised and settled soon after the alleged incident, when Mr Salmond apologised to the woman for any misunderstanding. His apology was accepted.
The original allegations were dealt with under the ‘local, informal handling’ first stage set out in the Government’s Fairness at Work policy for complaints about ministers. On Saturday, we revealed that one of the female members of staff involved in the current probe first lodged a complaint under the policy nearly five years ago.
Last night, opponents demanded a statement in parliament about complaints involving Mr Salmond following our revelations and reports in a Sunday newspaper there have been more allegations made to the SNP about his conduct. The Sunday Times reported ‘several’ complaints had been made in recent weeks.
Scottish Labour business manager Rhoda Grant said: ‘These new developments in the sexual harassment case against Alex Salmond are extremely serious. It is absolutely essential the complaints procedure and the timeline to this point, including who knew what and when, are clear and transparent.
‘Those new complainants should be reassured their complaints will be fully investigated by the proper authorities, including the police.
‘Without that transparency, people are less likely to want to come forward. Yet the SNP Government is in danger of throwing up a smokescreen around this situation and eroding public trust in this process.
‘That is why Labour will this week give the SNP Government a chance to set the record straight in parliament by outlining clearly what has happened.’
The Government confirmed in August it had concluded an investigation into two complaints about Mr Salmond during his time as First Minister.
Permanent Secretary Leslie Evans was due to publish details of the findings – but Mr Salmond launched his legal battle, which has limited what she can say about the complaints.
The Government will ‘vigorously’ defend itself in court.
Scottish Tory equalities spokesman Annie Wells said: ‘There are still many questions hanging over this incident. We still don’t know who else in the Scottish Government knew about this and whether anyone in the SNP was informed.
‘We must respect the women who complained and their anonymity, but within these constraints we deserve answers.’
Mr Salmond has insisted that he has not harassed anybody or been involved in criminality.
A spokesman for Nicola Sturgeon said: ‘The Scottish Government received two complaints in January in relation to Alex Salmond. These were investigated under the procedure agreed by the First Minister in December last year.
‘These are the only recorded complaints the Scottish Government has received about Mr Salmond. Prior to April of this year, the First Minister was not aware that any complaints or concerns had been raised about Mr Salmond. And at no point were any complaints referred to the First Minister under the Fairness at Work policy when she was Deputy First Minister.
‘As the Scottish Government has already made clear, there are a number of inaccuracies in some public statements made and these will be addressed in court. However, in light of the pending Court of Session case and continuing police inquiries, it is not possible for the Government to make further information available at this time.
‘As soon as it is able to, the Scottish Government will make available as much information as it can, whilst respecting the privacy of those involved. At that time the First Minister will be more than willing to address these issues in parliament.’
Asked about the claims several women had complained to the SNP about Mr Salmond in recent weeks, a party spokesman said: ‘It would be inappropriate to comment on the existence or otherwise of complaints.’
Comment – Page 16
‘New developments extremely serious’