High civil servant to face Holyrood-Salmond inquiry

Scotland’s prime civil servant is to be questioned by a panel of MSPs over the federal government’s botched dealing with of complaints in opposition to Alex Salmond.

Everlasting Secretary Leslie Evans would be the first witness to look earlier than the Holyrood committee inquiry.

The previous first minister efficiently took the federal government to court docket over its investigation of harassment complaints.

Mr Salmond referred to as for Ms Evans to stop after the judicial evaluate noticed him awarded a £500,000 bills payout.

The everlasting secretary insisted the federal government inquiry into two historic complaints in opposition to Mr Salmond had been let down by a “single procedural flaw”.

She has additionally been backed by her boss, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, who is predicted to present proof to the committee within the coming weeks.

• How will Holyrood’s Alex Salmond inquiry work?
• Who’s Leslie Evans?

The Holyrood inquiry centres on an inside authorities investigation into two complaints from employees members in opposition to Alex Salmond, relationship again to when he was in workplace as first minister of Scotland.

The Court docket of Session dominated that the investigation had been illegal, “procedurally unfair” and “tainted with obvious bias” following a judicial evaluate raised by the previous SNP chief.

MSPs agreed to carry a particular Holyrood inquiry into the collapse of the federal government case, nevertheless it was placed on maintain for over a yr after felony costs had been introduced in opposition to Mr Salmond – which culminated in him being acquitted of 13 costs of sexual assault on the Excessive Court docket in Edinburgh in March.

The group of MSPs, led by Deputy Presiding Officer Linda Fabiani, is to look at the event of the federal government’s harassment complaints process, the appliance of that process to the case of Mr Salmond, and the judicial evaluate case.

They’ve pledged to not re-investigate any complaints, however members are additionally to check the “tradition” of presidency below each Mr Salmond and Ms Sturgeon – which has already led to civil service unions voicing considerations about “bullying behaviour” inside each administrations.

Mr Salmond’s defence within the felony trial claimed he was the sufferer of a political conspiracy – one thing Ms Sturgeon has dismissed as “a heap of nonsense”.

Me Too motion

Ms Evans would be the first witness to look earlier than the committee when she offers proof on Tuesday, with others together with Ms Sturgeon and Mr Salmond set to comply with. Witnesses will present testimony below oath.

Ms Fabiani has repeatedly clashed with the everlasting secretary over documentation and written proof being provided by the federal government, voicing “frustration and disappointment on the very restricted quantity of knowledge the Scottish authorities has chosen to reveal” in regards to the judicial evaluate.

Ms Evans issued an apology “to all concerned” following the civil court docket case in January 2019, however mentioned the investigation had been flawed “in a single respect solely” – that the investigating officer assigned to the case had had prior contact with the complainers, doubtlessly creating “an impression of partiality”.

• Alex Salmond trial: What’s the political fallout?

Mr Salmond referred to as on the everlasting secretary to “think about her place” over the “abject humiliation” the federal government suffered in court docket.

Ms Sturgeon insisted that the complaints dealing with process she ordered to be drawn up within the wake of the Me Too motion remained “fully strong” regardless of the “deeply regrettable” failure within the case of her predecessor.

She has ordered an inside evaluate of “the particular software of this one factor of the process”, and has additionally triggered an unbiased evaluate to determine whether or not she broke the ministerial code in her dealings with Mr Salmond.