KEY POINTS
Salmond’s evidence to the committee on the Scottish Government Handling of Harassment complaints.
NO APOLOGY
The former first minister was asked if he wanted to say “sorry” for behaviours he had previously admitted – with Lib Dem mSP Alex cole-Hamilton saying some of these were “appalling”.
But Salmond said he was “resting” on the verdicts of two court cases – the court of Session finding the Scottish Government’s handling of complaints against him to be illegal and the criminal case at the High court in Edinburgh at which he was cleared of 13 charges of sexual assault.
Salmond said the “Government’s illegality has had huge consequences for a number of people”. He stated: “over the last three years, there have been two court cases, two judges and a jury, and i’m resting on the proceedings of these cases.”
IDENTITY OF ONE OF THE COMPLAINERS
Salmond said the identity of one of the women who made complaints was revealed to his former chief of staff, Geoff Aberdein.
Labour’s Jackie Baillie, who raised this issue with the first minister in Holyrood on Thursday, asked if the name of one of the complainers had been shared at a meeting mr Aberdein had been at. Salmond, giving evidence under oath, said: “my former chief of staff told me that.”
EVIDENCE OF ‘SUPPRESSION’ CLAIMS
Salmond believes there has been a “calculated and deliberate suppression of key evidence” to the committee, saying it had been “systematically deprived of the evidence it has legitimately sought”.
This, he claimed, resulted in the committee having to carry out its investigation “with both hands tied behind its back and a blindfold on”.
He went on to state there was a “pattern of non-disclosure” that “goes right through the judicial review, right through the criminal case and right into this committee”.
He added: “it is a sequence of deliberate suppression of information inconvenient to the Government.”
FAILURE OF LEADERSHIP
Salmond claimed the “failures of leadership are many and obvious” in the case but complained no one had “taken responsibility”, with no resignations or sackings: “The Government acted illegally but somehow nobody is to blame.”
He insisted “some consequences” should follow from the “unlawful conduct” in the way it handled harassment allegations against him,
Salmond stated: “Scotland hasn’t failed, its leadership has failed. The importance of this inquiry is for every one of us to help put this right.”
NO COVER-UP BY HIS SUCCESSOR NICOLA STURGEON
Salmond was asked if, prior to November 2017, Nicola Sturgeon had raised questions or concerns with him about sexually inappropriate behaviour. He said: “i have got points to make about what i believe the current first minister has done or not done... But i’ve seen it pursued on the committee that somehow Nicola Sturgeon was covering up something, that is not the case.”
NICOLA STURGEON’S CALL FOR EVIDENCE
Salmond rejected calls this week from Sturgeon he should provide evidence to back up his claims of a conspiracy. He stressed it was the Scottish Government who had been “found to have acted unlawfully, unfairly and tainted by apparent bias”.
He added: “The first minister asserts i have to prove a case, i don’t. That has already been done. There have been two court cases, two judges, one jury. in this inquiry it is the Scottish Government who are under examination.”
But he said the first minister was aware of complaints against him in march – not April as she has told the Scottish Parliament. Sturgeon has said she first learned of the allegations when Salmond came to her home on April 2. Salmond said however: “i know that she knew on march 29”.
RESIGNATIONS
Salmond called for the Lord Advocate and the head of Scotland’s civil service, Permanent Secretary Leslie Evans, to resign over the handling of the complaints against him. But while he said he had “no doubt” Sturgeon has broken rules on the behaviour of ministers, he stopped short of saying she should resign: “i’ve no doubt Nicola broke the ministerial code but it’s not for me to suggest what the consequence should be.”
LEAKING OF STORY TO THE DAILY RECORD
The record broke the story in August 2018 of the complaints against the former first minister. Salmond said a leak to the paper about this was “politically inspired” as he called for a further police probe into the matter.
He added: “if they (civil servants) do leak, they don’t leak to the political editor of the Daily record. Therefore i think the leak was politically inspired.
He added: “i think it does require further police investigation.”