You’ve got 12 days to hand over secret Salmond files, ministers told
SNP ministers have been given 12 days to hand over vital evidence to an inquiry examining the botched probe into complaints against Alex Salmond.
A Holyrood inquiry yesterday set a new deadline of September 23, warning Deputy First Minister John Swinney he must provide the requested documentation by that date.
The probe has threatened to look at all avenues, including court action, with Mr Salmond offering his help to secure the evidence. Mr Salmond has also been told he must provide all documents requested by the committee ahead of his appearance in front of MSPs at Holyrood.
The Scottish Government is currently embroiled in a secrecy row with the Scottish parliament committee looking into the handling of harassment complaints.
MSPs have repeatedly asked for specific legal documents relating to a judicial review which resulted in more than £500,000 of taxpayers’ money being awarded to Mr Salmond in legal costs.
He sued the Government over the probe into complaints against him, with a court finding the approach of officials had been ‘tainted with apparent bias’.
Mr Swinney has told the inquiry the Government is withholding certain doccontinues umentation, citing legal privilege. Committee convener Linda Fabiani has warned MSPs could go directly to the courts to obtain the evidence.
Yesterday she sent a further letter to Mr Swinney warning of further action. She said: ‘The committee remains frustrated at the approach being taken by the Government and that it is only at this late stage the Government is acknowledging the need to provide information at a sufficient level of detail to facilitate the committee’s scrutiny and instigating the process to collate it.’
Referencing the appearance before the committee of Lord Advocate James Wolffe, QC, on Tuesday, she said that it had been ‘strongly suggested that further information and/or documentation in addition to the chronology promised by you is likely to be made available’.
She said the committee asks ‘all information and documentation in relation to the judicial review is submitted by the Government by September 23 at the very latest’.
Mr Salmond’s lawyer has written to MSPs on the inquiry to tell them he would go back to the Court of Session to force documents to be released – but only if Holyrood pays the costs.
The letter, from David McKie, said: ‘The Scottish Government to delay and to provide partial and incomplete evidence. That pattern is familiar to us from the judicial review proceedings.
‘We do not understand why an offer to produce these documents has not been offered in full by the Scottish Government, whose documents they are.’
It follows Nicola Sturgeon becoming embroiled in a fresh secrecy row over claims she held meetings with Mr Salmond in her capacity as SNP leader – despite her husband signalling she was acting as First Minister at the time. Officials yesterday refused to hand over documents submitted to the Holyrood inquiry.
They claimed the Government did not hold the information as Miss Sturgeon had been acting as SNP leader when she met with Mr Salmond. But it came just 24 hours after her husband, Peter Murrell, said Miss Sturgeon did not tell him about the complaints because of the ‘nature’ of her job.
Mr Murrell claimed he was aware of a serious issue being discussed, but not the details – despite the meetings being held in the couple’s home. Scottish Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie said: ‘The Scottish Government’s commitment to transparency was nothing more than an empty platitude.’
Tory MSP Murdo Fraser said: ‘The SNP are using every excuse in the book.’
A Scottish Government spokesman said: ‘The deputy first minister has confirmed to the committee that the Government is taking steps with a view to enabling the committee to have access to [the documents], taking account of the restrictions that apply.’