Alex Salmond reported to police over sexual assault allegations
3 min read
Former SNP leader Alex Salmond has been reported to police over allegations of sexual assault.
The ex-first minister has been accused of sexually assaulting two former staff members at his then-official residence in 2013, according to the Daily Record.
Mr Salmond vigorously denied the claims and said he was taking legal action against the Scottish government over its handling of an internal probe into the matter.
In a statement on Twitter, he blated the investigation as "unjust" and said the case would now be heard by a “real court”.
He wrote: “For many months now, and on the advice of senior counsel, I have attempted to persuade the Permanent Secretary to the Scottish Government that she is behaving unlawfully in the application of a complaints procedure, introduced by her more than three years after I left office.
“This is a procedure so unjust that even now I have not been allowed to see and therefore to properly challenge the case against me. I have not been allowed to see the evidence.
“I have tried everything, including offers of conciliation, mediation and legal arbitration to resolve these matters both properly and amicably.
“This would have been in everybody’s interests, particularly those of the two complainants. All of these efforts have been rejected.
“The Permanent Secretary chose to deny me contact with any current civil servant, many of whom wished to give evidence on my behalf and access to documentation to allow me to properly challenge the complaints, all of which I refute and some of which are patently ridiculous."
He added: “It is therefore with great reluctance that I have today launched a Judicial Review in the Court of Session which will decide the issue of the lawfulness of the procedure which has been used against me.
“If I lose then I will have to answer to the complaints both comprehensively and publicly.”
A Scottish government spokesperson said that it would defend itself “vigorously” against Mr Salmond’s complaint, adding: “We can confirm that Alex Salmond has initiated legal proceedings against the Scottish government and as a result we are restricted in what we can say.
“However, the Scottish government will defend its position vigorously. As a matter of principle and integrity, it is vital that any allegations of harassment are treated seriously and investigated thoroughly, regardless of the identity of the party involved.”
Mr Salmond was succeeded as first minister by Nicola Sturgeon after losing the Scottish independence referendum in 2014. He led the Scottish government from 2007.
He served as MP for Gordon from 2015 until he lost the seat in last year’s general election.
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