Salmond lodges complaint over ‘leak’

ALEX Salmond has lodged a formal complaint over a Scottish Government official accused of leaking the name of a woman who complained about him to his former chief of staff.

In his evidence, Mr Salmond said the name of a complainer was given to his chief of staff, Geoff Aberdein.

The claim was corroborated by advocate Duncan Hamilton, who wrote to the inquiry this week to say Mr Aberdein told him a senior Scottish Government official shared the name in April 2018.

The former First Minister lodged an official complaint with Permanent Secretary Leslie Evans while Nicola Sturgeon was giving evidence to the Holyrood inquiry yesterday.

A spokesman said Mr Salmond ‘has lodged a formal complaint with the Permanent Secretary to the Scottish Government under the civil service code, on the conduct of the official who is alleged to have breached civil service rules, by disclosing the name of a complainant in the Scottish Government process’.

Asked about the issue, Miss Sturgeon denied that one of her officials leaked the name of a complainer. She added that it was ‘a matter of contention’ but said there are legal constraints on what she can say.

She said: ‘I was not at the meeting that has been described, neither should I say were people who are seeking to attest to that, to the content of that meeting.’

She said she cannot give a direct account but that ‘the account I have been given has assured me, or given me assurances, that what is alleged to have happened didn’t happen as described’.

Miss Sturgeon also said the official is willing to give private evidence on the issue to the inquiry.

Conservative MSP Murdo Fraser said that the leak of the name of a complainant would be an ‘appalling breach of privacy’.

He cited Mr Hamilton’s evidence, which said the name of the individual was given by a ‘government official’ to Mr Aberdein, who then reported it to him and former SNP director of communications Kevin Pringle on a conference call.

Asked who can corroborate her official’s alternative version of events, Miss Sturgeon said the committee should ‘test that privately’.

Miss Sturgeon also said she didn’t know who leaked the details of the complaints about Mr Salmond to a newspaper.