The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Salmond calls for probe into FM’s conduct
Alex Salmond has called for an independent investigation into whether Nicola Sturgeon broke the ministerial code to be broadened to include claims she misled Holyrood.
The former first minister made his plea in a letter to James Hamilton, the independent adviser to the Scottish Government, who is investigating whether Ms Sturgeon broke the rules when she held meetings with Mr Salmond.
T he investigation by Mr Hamilton, a former public prosecutions director in Ireland, is being conducted separately to the ongoing Salmond inquiry being carried out by MSPs at Holyrood.
Ms Sturgeon referred herself to Mr Hamilton’s standards panel in January last year after it was claimed she had broken the ministerial code by not promptly declaring meetings she had with Mr Salmond to discuss the harassment claims against him.
The meetings were held while Mr Salmond was the subject of an internal Scottish Government inquiry into the complaints made by two women.
In his emailed letter to Mr Hamilton, Mr Salmond claims the remit of Mr Hamilton’s investigation, set out by Deputy First Minister John Swinney, laid “a surprising stress” on whether Ms Sturgeon had interfered in the Scottish Government ’s internal investigation into the harassment claims.
“It might even be suspected that this remit has been set up as a straw man to knock down,” Mr Salmond said.
“There is no general bar on ministers intervening in a civil service process of which I am aware and indeed there are occasions when ministers are actually required by the code to intervene to correct civil service behaviour.”
Ms Sturgeon has been accused by her political opponents of misleading the Scottish Parliament when she told MSPs of her meetings and contact with Mr Salmond, the first one held at her family home on April 2 2018.
When she notified parliament of the meetings in January the following year, she failed to disclose she had also met Geoff Aberdein, Mr Salmond’s former chief of staff, a few days before, on March 29 2018.
In her evidence to the Salmond inquiry, the first minister said she forgot about the Aberdein meeting and added that she thought it did cover allegations of a “sexual nature”.
In his letter, Mr Salmond also revealed he is representing himself in relation to Mr Hamilton’s investigation.
Earlier this month Alex Cole-Hamilton – a Lib Dem MSP and a member of the Holyrood committee that is also looking into the handling of complaints against Mr Salmond – also called for Mr Hamilton’s inquiry to investigate if Ms Sturgeon misled parliament.