Operation Diem police probe into claims continues
CLAIMS of sexual misconduct against Alex Salmond will continue to be investigated by police, it was confirmed yesterday.
Detectives are set to carry on with their inquiries into whether the former first minister will face criminal charges.
Allegations regarding Mr Salmond’s conduct emerged last summer, when it was revealed that two employees had complained to the Scottish Government about alleged inappropriate behaviour, dating back to his time in office.
An official investigation launched by the Government sparked a formal police investigation – named Operation Diem – into the claims made by the two female members of staff.
A third police inquiry was revealed in November, with staff at Edinburgh Airport quizzed by detectives over allegations of inappropriate behaviour a decade earlier.
Last night, Police Scotland confirmed that the investigation will continue.
It came hours after the Scottish Government conceded that it had acted unlawfully while investigating the sexual harassment complaints against Mr Salmond. Officials were forced to admit they had breached their own guidelines by appointing an investigating officer who had ‘prior involvement’ in the case – thus conceding defeat in the legal battle with Mr Salmond.
At the Court of Session, Lord Pentland ruled that the Government’s actions were ‘unlawful in respect that they were procedurally unfair’ and had been ‘tainted with apparent bias’.
However, this will have no bearing on the police investigation as Mr Salmond’s judicial review focused entirely on the fairness of the Scottish Government’s procedures.
Asked for an update on the current investigation and if it will continue following the court ruling yesterday, a Police Scotland spokesman said: ‘Our inquiries continue, we will not be commenting further.’
Police Scotland initially carried out an ‘assessment’ of the allegations made against Mr Salmond before launching a formal probe in September last year.
The first criminal investigation involved the two complaints made by civil servants – following the Government’s investigation into the allegations.
In November, it was revealed he was facing a third claim of sexual misconduct, with detectives interviewing staff at Edinburgh Airport after a complaint.
This followed allegations of inappropriate behaviour dating back to 2008.
It later emerged that concerns regarding the former First Minister’s behaviour at the airport had been raised with the SNP at the time by management.
Outside the Court of Session yesterday, Mr Salmond denied he was guilty of wrongdoing.
He said: ‘I am certainly not guilty of any criminality.’
He has repeatedly defended himself against the claims.
After the initial allegations were revealed, he admitted to having made ‘many mistakes in my life, political and personal’, but added: ‘I have not sexually harassed anyone and I certainly have not been engaged in criminality.
‘I am no saint, I have got flaws, I understand that.’
Asked whether he denied the allegations ‘totally and fully’, he said: ‘I deny that I harassed anyone and I explicitly refute any suggestion of criminality.’