SNP should come clean over Salmond ...says top SNP MSP
A FORMER SNP Minister has called for a judicial inquiry to force the Scottish Government to hand over documents regarding allegations against Alex Salmond.
Ex-health secretary Alex Neil has warned people will start asking what the Government has to hide.
He was ‘surprised and shocked’ by leaked messages in which SNP chief executive Peter Murrell, husband to Nicola Sturgeon, allegedly called for pressure to be put on police investigating Mr Salmond.
Mr Salmond was cleared of 13 sex assault charges in March and also won a judicial review against the Government in the civil court.
A Holyrood committee is now investigating the Government’s handling of the allegations against the former first minister.
It has complained the Scottish Government has refused to hand over all requested documents, including legal advice it received.
Mr Salmond, Ms Sturgeon and Mr Murrell are all due to give evidence to the committee over the coming weeks. But Mr Neil, Nationalist MSP for Airdire and Shotts, believes a judge-led inquiry, with greater powers to compel the disclosure of documents, must be set up.
He said: ‘A judicial inquiry would have the power to access all the paperwork from police, government and Crown Office.
‘Its purpose would be to investigate whether there has been a conspiracy, involving organs of the state like the Crown Office.
‘A retired judge, with the stand ing and powers, would be far better placed to do that. In relation to Peter Murrell, for example, it would be able to demand all papers in the possession of the court, including WhatsApp messages.
‘With everything that’s happened, I think that must be given serious consideration.’
Deputy First Minister John Swinney has refused to waive legal privilege and hand over documents, but Mr Neil fears this will raise suspicion among the public. ‘Everyone should co-operate fully, and the Scottish Government should provide all documents that the Holyrood committee has requested, and the SNP should also make all paperwork we have to get to the bottom of this,’ he said.
‘I don’t think the Scottish Government is playing it well at all, given the history of similar inquiries in which the Scottish Government made all documents available.
‘It would be far better for the Government to be open and make available all documents that’s been asked for by the committee. If you don’t, people will say, “What are you trying to hide?”’
Mr Neil was scathing about Mr Murrell’s involvement.
He said: Mr Neil said: ‘There are certainly question marks about why he was involved at all. He had no locus whatsoever. I don’t think he is covering himself in glory, to say the least.
‘I’m very surprised and shocked that the SNP chief executive was involved in this at all.’
Police are investigating the leak after messages were sent anonymously to MP Kenny MacAskill.
The Crown Office has asked Police Scotland to assess whether or not messages passed on to Mr Salmond’s legal team, as part of the disclosure process in his trial, had illegally been made public.
A Scottish Government spokesman said: ‘The Scottish Government is co-operating fully with the committee. The Scottish Government is providing the relevant information requested by the committee, so far as is possible given the confidentiality, data protection and legal restrictions that apply.’
‘Make available all documents asked for’