Sturgeon comes under fire over meetings with Salmond
NICOLA Sturgeon has come under pressure from opposition leaders over meeting with Alex Salmond while he was under investigation for alleged sexual harassment.
Opposition leaders called for a parliamentary inquiry and suggested she has breached the ministerial code by meeting Mr Salmond.
Mr Salmond won his legal challenge against the Scottish Government that the investigation into complaints made against him by two women was unfair.
A judge rule it “unlawful” because the investigating officer had prior contact with the two women in breach of the policy.
Now Ms Sturgeon’s role is being scrutinised by The Conservatives and Labour.
The First Minister maintains she had no role in the investigation and never sought to intervene at any time.
She said the meetings with Mr Salmond where not government meetings despite her chief of staff Liz Lloyd, being present at one.
She said she has responsibilities as SNP leader and her chief of staff advises her in that capacity too.
Ms Sturgeon confirmed she met Alex Salmond on April 2, 2018 and two other subsequent meetings and phone calls.
She said “Of course my chief of staff is a special adviser who also has the ability to assist me in party matters.
“At the other meetings no-one else was present.”
Jackson Carlaw, conservative interim leader said it didn’t “stack up”.
He said: “Her position appears to be a meeting between the First Minister of the Government and the former first minister of the government, about a Government investigation involving two Government employees, was not Government business. Really, how?”
He added: “A Scottish Government special adviser, who is an employee of the Government, was present at the meetings, which we were told were not Government meetings.
“This whole sorry business simply doesn’t stack up.” Labour leader Richard Leonard said Ms Sturgeon was guilty of a “grave error of judgement” in meeting her predecessor.
He said: “After the events of this week, people need to have trust and confidence in the system, and that’s why the First Minister herself should back a full parliamentary inquiry.
“It’s why she should refer herself today to the panel of independent advisers on the Scottish ministerial code.”
NICOLA STURGEON faced tough questioning at Holyrood over the investigation into claims of sexual harassment against former First Minister, Alex Salmond.
The investigation carried out by the government was clearly bungled with a judge ruling it unlawful after Mr Salmond challenged its fairness it in court.
The opposition parties have now turned their attention onto Nicola Sturgeon over meetings she had with Alex Salmond at which the complaints against him were discussed.
Tory stand-in leader Jackson Carlaw and Labour leader Richard Leonard raised concerns at First Minister’s Questions and were clearly looking to pin something on Ms Sturgeon.
Ms Sturgeon has questions to answer about the several meetings she had with Mr Salmond while the investigation was under way and who she did or did not inform in line with ministerial guidelines.
There are strict rules needs to be open and honest about what was discussed at the meetings.
The fact that has now emerged, that Ms Sturgeon’s Chief of Staff was present and involved in arranging a meeting, raises more questions.
Questions which are about ministerial conduct, in following the correct procedures and not sidestepping the rules.
There is, however, a danger that the focus on this whole issue becomes about Ms Sturgeon and not about the issue and allegations that led to the investigation in the first place.
The opposition parties smell blood and will pursue this line in an attempt to weaken the First Minister and the SNP.
As a side issue, there is talk of SNP civil war and Mr Salmond talking up plots against him to remove him as a “political threat”.
Meanwhile, there are still two women who have made complaints of a very serious nature that, as Ms Sturgeon said, deserved to be taken seriously and not swept under the carpet because of who the subject of the complaints was.
The police have yet to decide if there is evidence to support any charges of a criminal nature being brought.
And at the same time, in line with the principles of the law, Mr Salmond must be allowed to defend himself and be considered innocent until proven otherwise.
The government, in conducting a flawed and unlawful investigation, has let down the women at the centre of this case.
Ms Sturgeon has admitted this and apologised to them but that means nothing if their claims are lost as the investigation is set aside.
In the interests of justice, both for the two women concerned and also for Alex Salmond, we can only hope and trust the police investigation is more robust than the one carried out by the Scottish Government.