The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
No action to be taken against Lib Dem MSP
Procurator fiscal concludes no proceedings be raised at this time
No further action is to be taken against a Scottish Liberal Democrat MSP over his Holyrood campaign spending last year.
Prosecutors had been considering a police report in relation to Alex Cole-Hamilton, 39, in connection with an alleged incident on June 7 2016.
Mr Cole-Hamilton won the Edinburgh West seat by 2,960 votes ahead of SNP rival Toni Giugliano in the 2016 Scottish Parliament elections, which were held on May 5.
The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) has concluded there should be no proceedings raised at this time following a “full and careful” look at the circumstances of the case.
There will also be no charges brought against an unnamed woman in relation to the alleged incident.
Mr Cole-Hamilton – who was general election campaign director for the party – said he was glad the matter is “closed”.
In a statement on Thursday, the MSP said: “Today, as I always knew they would, the procurator fiscal service confirmed to me that I have no case to answer in respect of allegations around my 2016 election campaign spending.
“While this has been a long process, I have sought to fully co-operate with the investigation at every stage.
“I did so, both in the knowledge that we had done nothing wrong but also because I believe that it’s vitally important for voters to retain faith in the integrity of individual election results and, by extension, the wider democratic process.”