Salmond probe in 'crisis' as committee refuses to publish former FM's evidence

Alex Cole-Hamilton, who is a member of the inquiry team, has raised his concerns today and called for an urgent summit claiming the “credibility” of the probe is “on the line”.

The inquiry is examining the Scottish Government's unlawful investigation into sexual misconduct complaints against Salmond.

The saga destroyed the friendship between Sturgeon and Salmond, whose allies believe he was targeted by the government and SNP figures in a bid to prevent his return to the political frontline.

James Hamilton, an ex director of public prosecutions in Ireland, is heading a separate investigation into whether Sturgeon broke the ministerial code.

This relates to meetings Sturgeon and Salmond had during the government’s investigation.

Salmond’s legal team, as part of his written evidence, shared his submission to the Hamilton probe with the committee last month.

In the document, Salmond accused Sturgeon of breaches of the ministerial code of conduct and of misleading parliament. Sturgeon denies the allegations.

However, the Holyrood inquiry has decided not to publish it even though the submission was widely reported in the media.

Salmond described the move as "farcical" and said he would be consulting advisers on "what to do now".

It is feared the decision could lead to Salmond pulling out of his oral evidence session next Tuesday.

In a tweet earlier today, Lib Dem Cole-Hamilton outlined what he regarded as the gravity of the situation: “Salmond Inquiry is in crisis and I have just called for an urgent meeting of the committee to be held at 1pm.

“We’re unable to publish a key submission of evidence from Mr Salmond, but that does not mean he is prohibited from referring to its contents on Tuesday.”

He added: “The credibility of our committee is on the line. If we are to get to the bottom of why the government failed the women at the heart of this, then we must hear from the subject of its investigation.”

Responding to the news that the inquiry was not going to publish the former First Minister's submission, a spokeswoman for Salmond said yesterday he would now speak to advisers about the next steps. 

“This is a quite extraordinary development," she said.

“It would be one thing to remove a sentence or so but to suppress the whole submission is simply farcical. It means that it can’t even be considered for inclusion in the Committee’s report."

She added: “In one letter the Convener seems to have wiped out the entire strand of her own committee’s inquiry into the ministerial code and dispatched the submission into a black hole. 

“Alex will consult with his advisers tomorrow afternoon as to where this leaves his evidence and what to do now. 

“Obviously everything that Alex has submitted has conformed to all legal requirements and there is no possible justification whatsoever for this decision which makes a mockery of the Parliament’s commitment to openness and transparency.”

When Salmond’s submission was made public at the start of the year, a spokesman for Sturgeon said the First Minister “entirely rejected Salmond’s claims”.

He added: “We should always remember that the roots of this issue lie in complaints made by women about Alex Salmond’s behaviour whilst he was first minister, aspects of which he has conceded.

“It is not surprising therefore that he continues to try to divert focus from that by seeking to malign the reputation of the first minister and by spinning false conspiracy theories.

"The First Minister is concentrating on fighting the pandemic, stands by what she has said, and will address these matters in full when she appears at committee in the coming weeks.”

Salmond was due to appear before the Holyrood committee next Tuesday, with Sturgeon expected to appear on February 16.