NICOLA Sturgeon has told Holyrood she can see why people “might raise an eyebrow” that she forgot about a meeting where she found out about complaints of sexual misconduct against Alex Salmond.

The First Minister insisted she has “nothing to hide” and “tried to act in the proper way” as she faced questions in Holyrood over the Salmond case yesterday.

Scottish Tory group leader Ruth Davidson asked Sturgeon how she could forget a meeting at which “you learnt for the first time about allegations of sexual misconduct being levelled against your predecessor and mentor of two decades”.

The First Minister replied: “I get why people will look at that and raise an eyebrow.

“There is something seared on my memory and it is actually the meeting that took place some three days later when Alex Salmond himself sat in my own home and gave me the details of the complaints that had been made against him and also gave me his response to aspects of those complaints.

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“That is what seared in my memory and I think most reasonable people would understand that.

“Forgive me if that has somehow overwritten in my mind a much more fleeting, opportunistic meeting that took place a few days earlier, that is just how it is.”

Later in the tense exchanges in the chamber the First Minister said she had tried to do the right thing.

“I’ve got nothing to hide in all of this,” she said.

“I’ve had two years or more of people making accusations about my conduct. It’s not my conduct that sparked any of this. I’ve tried to act in the proper way. If I’ve made mistakes along the way ... people will make their own judgements.”

The exchanges took place 24 hours after a written submission by Sturgeon to MSPs in which she said she had forgotten about the meeting with Salmond’s former chief of staff in which harassment complaints against Salmond were raised.

She previously failed to disclose the face-to-face discussion with Geoff Aberdein when she was asked about meetings by opposition MSPs involving Salmond, who was acquitted of sexual assault, attempted rape and indecent assault at the High Court in Edinburgh in March.

But those face-to-face talks on March 29, 2018, emerged during evidence given to Salmond’s trial in the Spring.

In her written submission to a Holyrood committee set up to examine her Government’s botched investigation into complaints against Salmond and her own conduct. Sturgeon said she believed this meeting with Aberdein had covered “the suggestion that the matter might relate to allegations of a sexual nature”.

The criminal case followed a legal battle in which Salmond was awarded more than £500,000 when the Court of Session in Edinburgh ruled that a Scottish Government investigation into his conduct was “unlawful”.

In her evidence, published yesterday, Sturgeon said that she had spoken with Aberdein about the former First Minister wanting to discuss “allegations of a sexual nature”.

She said: “I had forgotten that this encounter had taken place until I was reminded of it in, I think, late January, early February 2019. For context, I think the meeting took place not long after the weekly session of FMQs and in the midst of a busy day in which I would have been dealing with a multitude of other matters.”

Previously when pressed by MSPs in parliament, Sturgeon repeatedly referred only to a meeting with Salmond on April 2, 2018, in her home.

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The First Minister repeatedly added she wants to appear before the committee to answer any questions MSPs may have, adding that she is “looking forward” to giving evidence.

Davidson said the explanation given by the First Minister “does not even bear the lightest scrutiny”, adding it is “beyond belief”.

The Scottish Tory group leader went on to ask the First Minister if she believes a judge-led inquiry should be launched to look into the handling of the complaints, an idea put forward by SNP MSP Alex Neil.

The First Minister said: “There is a parliamentary inquiry under way that I’ve given evidence to and that I will sit in front of and give evidence to orally, I will do it under oath.”

Meanwhile. in a letter by Salmond’s lawyer David McKie, published by the inquiry yesterday, but dated to earlier this month, the former First Minister stepped up his battle with the Scottish Government claiming it was attempting to use the MSP’s probe to “malign his reputation” and obscure scrutiny of its actions.