Alex Salmond inquiry: Crown Office has 'urged removal of Salmond submission'

Parliament has been urged to remove the submissions from Alex Salmond to the harassment complaints committee by the Crown Office, it has emerged.

Reports suggest the Crown Office has asked for action to be taken by the parliament on the submission.

The Crown Office wrote to the Scottish Parliament’s Corporate Body (SPCB) on Monday night asking for the submission to be removed from its website over fears it could breach a court order relating to the trial of the former first minister, the Daily Record reported.

It is suggested the prosecution service has told the Parliament to take immediate action in response to its concerns.

The move follows the publication by Holyrood of Alex Salmond’s explosive final submission to the ongoing parliamentary inquiry in which he accuses high ranking members of the SNP and the Scottish Government of conspiring to put him in jail and expel him from public life.

Responding to the news of the letter, a spokesperson for the Scottish Parliament said: “The Crown Office wrote to the SPCB last night. We have asked the Crown Office to clarify its concern so that we can respond today.”

The Crown Office was also contacted for comment.

The move from the Crown Office also came as staff members in the Scottish Parliament took to Twitter to express their distress at the-then imminent publication of Mr Salmond's evidence.

Parliamentary staff members, most of whom work in SNP and Green MSP offices, said the decision to publish would “make it harder” to report a sexual harassment complaint in future.

In a co-ordinated move, several women posted: “As a woman that works for the Scottish Parliament, I am asking the Corporate Body not to publish information today that will identify a complainer; to do so would only make it hard if I – or any other person – had to report in the future. #WeStandTogether”.

The harassment complaints committee is examining the botched handling of harassment complaints against Mr Salmond by the Scottish Government, which led to a £500,000 legal bill after the Government conceded a judicial review challenge on the grounds of the process being “tainted by apparent bias”.

Mr Salmond was also acquitted of sexual offence charges in a trial last year.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon is expected to give evidence next week.

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