Salmond faces sexual assault claims
ALEX SALMOND has been reported to police over allegations he sexually assaulted two members of staff while he was Scotland’s First Minister, it emerged last night.
The former leader of the SNP is said to have carried out the alleged assaults in Bute House in Edinburgh, the First Minister’s official residence, in December 2013. The claims are understood to have been reported to police by Scottish Government officials following an internal inquiry.
Bute House is a listed building in Edinburgh’s Charlotte Square and is owned by the National Trust for Scot- land. It is the equivalent of 10 Downing Street for Scotland’s First Minister, and is used to host cabinet meetings as well as functions for guests and dignitaries.
Mr Salmond stepped down as First Minister after losing the independence referendum in 2014 and was replaced by Nicola Sturgeon. He lost his Gordon constituency in last year’s general election, and hosted a radio show on LBC.
He issued a statement on Twitter in response to the story in the Daily Record, denying any wrongdoing and revealing that he was taking the Scottish Government to court over the way it had investigated the allegations.
He said that for “many months”, on the advice of senior counsel, he had been trying to persuade the Permanent Secretary to the Scottish Government that she was “behaving unlawfully in the application of a complaints procedure, introduced by her more than three years after I left office”.
He added: “This is a procedure so unjust that even now I have not been allowed to see and therefore to properly challenge the case against me. I have not been allowed to see the evidence. I have tried everything, including offers of conciliation, mediation and legal arbitration to resolve these matters both properly and amicably.
“This would have been in everybody’s interests, particularly those of the two complainants. All of these efforts have been rejected.
“The Permanent Secretary chose to deny me contact with any current civil servant, many of whom wished to give evidence on my behalf and access to documentation to allow me to properly challenge the complaints, all of which I refute and some of which were patently ridiculous.” He claimed the procedure put into operation by Leslie Evans, the Permanent Secretary, was “grossly unfair” and would lead to “prejudicial outcomes”. His case is expected to be heard in court today.
Mr Salmond added that it was with great reluctance that he was seeking a “judicial review” in the Court of Session, Scotland’s highest civil court.
A Scottish Government spokesman said for legal reasons it was restricted in what it could say, but added that it would “defend its position vigorously. As a matter of principle and integrity, it is vital any allegations of harassment are investigated thoroughly”. Police Scotland refused to comment.