ALEX Salmond’s lawyer has told the Court of Session that the former First Minister was not given adequate information about the sexual assault allegations made against him.
At a 35-minute procedural hearing in Edinburgh yesterday morning, Ronnie Clancy QC also queried if there had been contact between the women who have complained and the Scottish Government.
READ MORE: Alex Salmond's challenge to sexual harassment process in court today
The ex-SNP leader is seeking a judicial review into how the government handled two allegations of misconduct relating to his time as First Minister.
Salmond denies harassment and says the formal procedure used to investigate the complaints by two civil service staff, which only came into being last December, has denied him a chance to respond.
His lawyer told the court that one of the woman who had complained in January had first raised concerns, informally, about Salmond in December 2013.
Clancy claimed that complaint had been resolved to “finality”.
The court also heard that two other individuals had lodged written evidence for Salmond’s case.
The Scottish Government’s lawyer Christine O’Neill said even if a complaint had been raised earlier, it would not mean a formal complaint could not be lodged subsequently.
She said the pre-formal complaint process was “essentially irrelevant”.
The government’s lawyers are set to argue that Salmond does not “have a relevant case as a matter of law”.
A substantive hearing is due to start on January 15 and last four days.
Speaking to the media outside the Scottish Parliament later, Salmond, who has since resigned from the SNP and raised £100,000 for his legal expenses through a crowdfunding appeal, said: “I’m very content that we will get our opportunity to state our case.”
He added: “We’ll do our talking in the Court of Session. That’s the right place for it to be done.”
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