Former first minister Alex Salmond has launched fresh legal action against the government he used to lead, alleging a complex conspiracy from within the civil service and the leadership of the SNP designed to damage and discredit him.

The leader of the breakaway nationalist Alba Party said it was time for the “evasion of responsibility” from senior Scottish Government officials to end as he declared the “day of reckoning” was coming.

First Minister Humza Yousaf said the Government would “robustly defend” the case.

Alex Salmond delivering a speech at the Alba party's local government election manifesto launch at the Caird Hall, Dundee. Picture: PA

Former SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon, who remains an MSP, could face being quizzed in court over the allegations made by Mr Salmond, alongside other senior figures, including former permanent secretary Leslie Evans, who retired last year.

A spokesperson for Ms Sturgeon said she “utterly refutes” Mr Salmond’s claims against her, and stessed the Alba party leader’s “actions are a matter for him”.

Mr Salmond successfully sued the Scottish Government in 2019 over the botched investigation into harassment complaints against him, winning more than £500,000 in expenses. He was also acquitted of multiple sexual offence charges in a high-profile trial in 2020.

The former SNP leader has alleged senior figures within the government and SNP deliberately sought to discredit and destroy his reputation. Reports suggest he will aim to win around £3 million in damages and lost earnings.

The court case, confirmed as Alex Salmond v Scottish Ministers, will see the veteran nationalist attempt to prove the offence of “misfeasance” in public office. He will attempt to prove that individuals knowingly misused or abused their power and authority to deliberately cause harm to him personally, likely focusing on the design of the harassment complaints procedure.

The case will reopen deep wounds within the SNP and between Mr Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon. The relationship between the two veteran SNP figures broke down irretrievably following the allegations against Mr Salmond.

In a statement, Mr Salmond said the “day of reckoning” for the Scottish Government in its handling of harassment complaints against him “will inevitably come” as he brought legal action.

He said: “Throughout this tawdry business I have done my talking in court or in front of Parliament. That has resulted in victory in the Court of Session and being cleared of all charges in the High Court of Justiciary. I intend to continue with that practice.

“Despite Lord Pentland’s findings in the Court of Session that the behaviour of the former permanent secretary and her officials was ‘unlawful’, ‘unfair’ and ‘tainted by apparent bias’, despite the ongoing police and Crown Office enquiries into the criminal leaks and potential perjury at the criminal trial, despite the astonishing revelations of misfeasance contained in the eventual publication of the Government’s own legal advice, and despite the specific findings of the Parliamentary Inquiry into the conduct of the former permanent secretary and the former first minister, not one single person has been held accountable. With this court action, that evasion of responsibility ends.

“We have agreed to the sisting of proceedings to allow the criminal investigations into leaking and perjury to be completed. However, the calling of the action signals that the day of reckoning for the Scottish Government’s record of misfeasance on this grand scale will inevitably come.”

Mr Salmond’s lawyer Gordon Dangerfield said the case accused Scottish Government officials of conducting themselves “improperly, in bad faith and beyond their powers, with the intention of injuring Mr Salmond”.

“We aver that public officials decided at an early stage that Mr Salmond was to be found guilty of allegations against him, regardless of the actual facts,” he said.

“As events snowballed, we aver that public officials then took part in the criminal leaking of confidential documents, the concealment of documents in defiance of court orders and a criminal warrant, the misleading of the court during judicial review proceedings, the soliciting of false criminal complaints, and ultimately the commission of perjury at a parliamentary inquiry.

“All of this, we aver, was done for political reasons, and specifically to injure Mr Salmond."

Mr Dangerfield added: “Many documents which are relevant to these averments continue to be concealed by the Scottish Government despite repeated requests for disclosure of them over the course of the last year since this action was first raised.

“We aver that this refusal to disclose is a continuation of the misfeasance, which began more than five years ago. A major aim of Mr Salmond in bringing this action is to obtain disclosure of this vital evidence and to blow apart the Scottish Government cover-up which has gone on now for far too long.”

Mr Salmond, who was first minister between 2007 and 2014, was investigated by the Scottish Government after two complaints from staff were made under a new complaints procedure that included former ministers.

The investigation was deemed by a judicial review to have been “tainted with apparent bias” after the Scottish Government conceded defeat and Mr Salmond was awarded £512,000 as a result.

He was subsequently cleared of 13 charges of sexual misconduct, including attempted rape, following a trial at the High Court in Edinburgh.

A protracted Holyrood inquiry followed into the Scottish Government’s handling of the original two complaints, which called both Mr Salmond and former first minister Nicola Sturgeon to give evidence.

During the inquiry, Mr Salmond attacked Scotland’s former top civil servant – then Ms Evans – accusing her of having a “bias” against him and calling for her resignation.

In March 2021 – just days before he announced he was the leader of the fledgling Alba Party – Mr Salmond confirmed his intention to take legal action against Ms Evans.

The inquiry found Ms Sturgeon misled MSPs in her evidence, but she was cleared of any breaches of the ministerial code.

Mr Yousaf was asked about the accusations during a press conference at the British-Irish Council in Dublin on Friday.

He initially refused to be drawn on the case, but added: “Unsurprisingly to anyone listening or watching, the Scottish Government will defend its position robustly, but I’ll say no more because that’s a live case.”

A spokesperson for former first minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “Nicola utterly refutes Salmond’s claims, as she has always done.

“She answered questions before a parliamentary committee for eight hours in 2021, and was also investigated and cleared by the independent advisor on the ministerial code. Salmond’s actions are a matter for him, and the conduct of the case is a matter for the Scottish Government.”

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “It would not be appropriate to comment on live litigation.”

Alex Salmond: Former SNP leader says 'day of reckoning' coming as he launches legal action against Scottish Government