Salmond inquiry writes to top civil servant

A TOP civil servant has been told she will be asked to give evidence at a Holyrood inquiry into the Alex Salmond affair.

Leslie Evans, permanent secretary to the Scottish Government, has also been asked to hand over communications between her and First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.

MSPS on the inquiry are looking at how the Scottish Government botched a misconduct probe into Mr Salmond and left taxpayers with a £500,000 legal bill.

They have already decided witnesses will be required to take an oath.

Letters have recently been sent to key figures, including Ms Sturgeon and Mr Salmond, requesting written evidence ahead of this.

The inquiry’s focus is the Scottish Government’s in-house probe into complaints of sexual misconduct made against Mr Salmond in 2018 by two female civil servants.

Following a challenge by Mr Salmond, the Government admitted in court its probe had been unfair, unlawful and “tainted by apparent bias” because the investigating officer was in prior contact with the complainants.

Mr Salmond previously accused Ms Evans of wasting “huge amounts of public money in an incompetent attempt to enforce an unlawful process”.

He was cleared of multiple charges of sexual assault earlier this year after a trial at the High Court in Edinburgh.

Linda Fabiani MSP, convener of the special Holyrood inquiry committee, has now written to Ms Evans requesting relevant communications.

This includes emails, texts, Whatsapp messages and records of calls. The letter says Ms Evans will be invited to give oral evidence in the week beginning

August 17.