ALEX Salmond vowed to rejoin the SNP as he fielded questions from the media after winning his case against the Scottish Government at the Court of Session yesterday.

Salmond’s legal representative issued a short statement before the former SNP leader himself addressed the assembled journalists.

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In his statement, he thanked his legal team, family, friends and the people who contributed to his crowdfunding campaign, which raised more than £100,000 towards his legal costs. Salmond said surplus funds would “go to good causes in Scotland and beyond”.

He reflected that he was “glad” to have won the case but “sad that it was necessary” to pursue it. “The last time I was in that court was to be sworn in as First Minister of Scotland,” he said.

“I never thought it possible that at any point I would be taking the Scottish Government to court and while I am glad about the victory that has been achieved today, I am sad that it was necessary to take this action.”

Salmond suggested that Permanent Secretary Leslie Evans “consider her position” following the outcome of the judicial review and questioned why it had been necessary to go to court “in order to have transparency and openness and to allow the case to be settled on its merits”.

He went on to say that he was “deeply troubled throughout the case by the leaking of confidential information by whoever”.

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Questioned over whether he was innocent of the allegations of harassment and if he felt that the outcome of the judicial review meant that the police investigation should also be concluded, Salmond reiterated that he “was not guilty of any criminality”.

Referring to the investigation by Police Scotland, he said: “Throughout this process I have said that it is important that

I didn’t comment on it until it had concluded. It has now done that and I am now commenting on it.

“By the same token, I am certainly not going to comment on police inquiries. I will face that matter when I come to it.”

As to where the outcome left First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, Salmond said that “she should concentrate on achieving independence for Scotland, particularly in current political circumstances”.

Asked by The National if he felt that he could rebuild his relationship with the Scottish Government, Salmond said that a mutual support for Scottish independence would remain a binding factor, despite the “institutional failure” of the process.

“I am an ardent campaigner for Scottish independence and I have a relationship, therefore, with everybody who supports Scottish independence,” he said.

“These are matters about justice, transparency, the effectiveness of process and the rights of those complained about and those who complain – all of these things have been swept aside by the Scottish Government and by their institutional failure and I think the person responsible should be considering her position.”

Regarding the possibility of the Scottish Government opening a second investigation, he remained confident that his case would succeed again.

He said that the Scottish Government “fell at the first fence,” and “would have fallen at all the other fences as well”.

And while Salmond led the SNP on two separate occasions during a 30-year career with the party, he resigned his membership last year.

He told reporters that it was his “intention” to rejoin the party, but would do so after discussing “clear and obvious legal options” with his team.

Before returning inside the court, Salmond offered a stoic reflection of the outcome.

“I am not putting out the bunting today,” he said. “Yes, I am glad to have won. I am really, really sad to have been forced to take this action against a government I led for almost eight years.”

The Court of Session case is a victory for Salmond, but one that has come at a heavy price.