The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Different accounts give meetings controversy
A key section of Mr Salmond’s evidence yesterday focused on meetings held with Nicola Sturgeon – the differing accounts of which have been a source of great controversy.
The subject discussed had been allegations by women regarding Mr Salmond’s conduct towards them.
Labour’s Jackie Baillie asked the former first minister if the name of one of the complainers had been shared at a meeting his former chief of staff, Geoff Aberdein, had attended.
Mr Salmond said it had, adding: “My former chief of staff told me that.”
This contradicted what Ms Sturgeon has said concerning that allegation.
Mr Salmond also said the meeting of March 29 2018, between Ms Sturgeon and Mr Aberdein, was “not impromptu, was not accidental”, and the subsequent meeting on April 2 between Ms Sturgeon and Mr Salmond was “not popping in” to the first minister’s home, but had been arranged at the discussion days earlier.
These meetings are important because Ms Sturgeon initially told parliament she had not learned of the allegations against Mr Salmond until she was informed by him on April 2, later claiming to have “forgotten” about the previous meeting with Mr Aberdein.
Meetings involving the first minister should be recorded, under the ministerial code.
Ms Sturgeon has said she agreed to meet Mr Salmond on April 2 because she thought he was going to resign from the SNP, but Mr Salmond said his resignation at that stage would have been regarded as “astounding news” and that would have been the “opposite” of what he was trying to achieve.
The former first minister later added: “I would have thought either explanation breaches the ministerial code, because either the meeting of March 29 wasn’t forgotten about and parliament was deliberately misled, or alternatively it was forgotten about, and parliament wasn’t informed when she was reminded of it.
“In my submission on the ministerial code, it says these are clear breaches of the ministerial code.
“What happens as a result is not up to me, it’s for this committee, Mr James Hamilton, it’s for others. All I can do is come here and tell you the truth.”