THE findings by the Irish lawyer James Hamilton on whether the First Minister breached the Ministerial Code are expected to be published today, according to reports.
Hamilton, a former director of public prosecutions in the Irish Republic, is the independent adviser on the Ministerial Code and is due to hand over his conclusions to the Scottish Government which it has said it will publish as soon as it receives them.
The probe has the potential to pose difficulties for Nicola Sturgeon, who will face further pressure from political opponents to resign if the QC finds that she broke the code which sets out principles on conduct for ministers.
She had denied breaching the code.
READ MORE: James Hamilton QC: Who is the man who could decide Nicola Sturgeon's future?
In the foreword to the 2018 edition of the document, the First Minister said: “This revised Ministerial Code sets guidelines for living up to the seven principles of public life: selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty and leadership. All Scottish ministers, including myself, are bound by its terms.”
She added: “I will lead by example in following the letter and spirit of this code, and I expect that ministers and civil servants will do likewise.”
Last week, a leak by the Holyrood harassment inquiry said the First Minister had misled Parliament in connection with her Government’s investigation into complaints made against former First Minister Alex Salmond. MSPs concluded the First Minister gave “an inaccurate account” of her actions and so misled the cross-party investigation. However, it stopped short of saying she did so “knowingly”, the threshold for resignation under the code. The inquiry split down party lines 5-4.
Under legal challenge from Salmond in 2019, the Government conceded its investigation into complaints against him from two female civil servants was unlawful because it was “procedurally unfair” and “tainted by apparent bias”.
Salmond was last year acquitted in the High Court in Edinburgh of all 13 of the sexual offences charges against him.
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