NICOLA Sturgeon has denied breaching the ministerial code at a Scottish Government Covid briefing following a complaint by a former SNP deputy leader.

Jim Sillars wrote to the Scottish Government on February 25 claiming the First Minister had broken rules over a “sustained attack” on Alex ­Salmond during the daily conference.

It has now emerged Sturgeon wrote back to him to refute the accusations, saying it was “entirely wrong” to suggest she had cast doubt on the outcome of her predecessor’s sexual assault trial last year, in which he was acquitted of all charges.

The First Minister is due to ­appear this week before the Holyrood ­committee which is looking into the Scottish Government’s handling of harassment complaints against Alex Salmond, which was found to be ­unlawful in a judicial review.

The SNP leader has been accused of misleading parliament over when she knew about allegations of harassment made against her predecessor.

Last Friday Salmond gave ­evidence to MSPs in a six-hour session ­during which he repeatedly accused ­Sturgeon of breaking the ministerial code, but stopped short of saying she should stand down.

During a Covid briefing on ­February 24, Sturgeon had ­criticised Salmond and claimed he was ­peddling ­conspiracy theories.

She also told the briefing: “The ­behaviour ... complained of was found by a jury not to constitute criminal conduct and Alex Salmond is innocent of criminality, but that doesn’t mean that the behaviour they ­complained of didn’t happen and I think it’s important that we don’t lose sight of that.”

Sillars, who was Salmond’s party number two in the early 1990s, wrote to the Permanent Secretary saying: “The complaint is ... based on the ­attacks on Mr Salmond in a forum that had been arranged by the Scottish Government to inform the public on a subject, the pandemic, a matter of serious public concern, in which maximum publicity would be given to the words of the First Minister.

“It is a gross breach of her duty to use that government-sponsored ­forum, for a public attack on Mr ­Salmond in matters not related to the purpose of a briefing to which the ­media had been invited.”

Responding to the allegations, Sturgeon said it is not the job of the Permanent Secretary or other officials to enforce the code and she did not vet questions put to her by journalists.

She said: “I have never, and would never, call into question the jury’s findings, which I fully respect.”

She added: “I am clear that I did not breach the Ministerial Code.

“Of course, the most appropriate place for me to be questioned about these matters is in front of the Parliamentary Committee.

“And I look forward, at long last, to appearing before the Committee next week when I can lay out the facts of what happened rather than the ­spurious and unfounded conspiracies that others choose to misrepresent as the truth for their own ends.”

It is understood Sillars has now written back to request his complaint is considered by James Hamilton QC – who is currently investigating if Sturgeon breached the ministerial code over when she knew about the harassment allegations against ­Salmond – or “some other suitable independent person”.

Meanwhile SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford yesterday rejected Salmond’s accusations that Sturgeon had breached the ministerial code.

“She’s made it clear on a number of occasions that she does not believe she has broken the ministerial code,” he told BBC Radio 4.

“I believe that to be the case as well, this will be put to bed, and we will be able to move on from it to make sure we are dealing with the Covid crisis in the right way, and we’re ­having that discussion about what Scotland’s future is.”

Blackford also said Salmond had failed to bring forward any evidence of a conspiracy against him.