Sturgeon: I can’t order Salmond files release

Secrecy row deepens over evidence ‘that’s vital to inquiry’

NICOLA Sturgeon has refused to order the handing over of key evidence relating to allegations against Alex Salmond amid a growing secrecy row.

She insisted officials would not be forced to release vital documents and emails – despite demands from the inquiry probing the botched handling of complaints against Mr Salmond.

MSPs have threatened to enact rarely used legal powers in an attempt to force the Scottish Government to produce information currently being withheld under claims of ‘legal privilege’. But the First Minister, deputy SNP leader John Swinney and Scotland’s top civil servant, Leslie Evans, have rejected the bid.

Miss Sturgeon was quizzed by MSPs yesterday, two days after it emerged she was made aware of concerns regarding her predecessor’s behaviour in November 2017.

Permanent Secretary Mrs Evans revealed she had personally told Miss Sturgeon of an ‘incident’ involving Mr Salmond at

Edinburgh Airport months before an official investigation into separate complaints against him was launched. Mr Salmond has denied the Edinburgh Airport allegations.

Giving evidence under oath to Holyrood’s committee on the Scottish Government’s handling of harassment complaints, Mrs Evans refused to reveal if she knew of a rule banning female civil servants from being alone with the former First Minister.

After saying she could not comment, committee convener Linda Fabiani prompted an internal row by ruling out further questioning on the subject.

Yesterday Miss Sturgeon said she had not been aware of such a rule – but said MSPs were ‘entitled’ to ask about this.

At First Minister’s Questions, Scottish Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie stated Miss Sturgeon had previously pledged to ‘cooperate fully’ with the probe. She said: ‘Given swathes of documents are heavily redacted and the Scottish Government is refusing access to key documents relating to the core of the inquiry’s remit, I hope the First Minister will want to stand by her earlier commitment.’

Miss Sturgeon said she is ‘absolutely committed’ to fully complying with the probe and pledged to ‘personally attend the committee to answer questions when I am asked to do so’.

She said she will ‘answer all questions that are put to me when the committee asks me to, unless of course they ask me questions that my answers would breach legal requirements’.

But she said she had ‘recused’ herself from ‘any decisionmaking in terms of the Government’s interaction with the committee’ and therefore could not instruct officials to hand over all the information requested.

The Scottish Government has confirmed Mrs Evans is prepared to write a response to questioning on the female-only policy if advised by Miss Fabiani.

A Scottish Government spokesman said: ‘The Permanent Secretary will write about this issue, if that is the direction from the convener, because it was the convener who ruled that line of questioning shouldn’t be pursued.’

Tory Murdo Fraser said Mrs Evans must return to the inquiry ‘at the first opportunity and tell us the whole truth’.

In reply to a letter from Mr Fraser, Miss Baillie and Alex Cole-Hamilton, Miss Fabiani said: ‘It may well be that we can invite the Permanent Secretary to give evidence in writing on the matter or, indeed, that the matter can be raised again if she comes back to speak to this committee.’

She said it had been agreed the inquiry would not ‘revisit the criminal trial’ of Mr Salmond, who was cleared of alleged sexual offences earlier this year.

‘Refusing access to key documents’