Alex Salmond inquiry: Former first minister says police should launch investigation into newspaper leak

Alex Salmond has urged Police Scotland to investigate the “politically inspired” leaking of sexual harassment allegations against him to the Daily Record newspaper three years ago.

Former first minister Alex Salmond wearing a protective face covering to combat the spread of the coronavirus, attends the Committee on the Scottish Government Handling of Harassment Complaints at Holyrood. Picture: Andy Buchanan - Pool/Getty Images

Addressing the Holyrood committee on Friday that is investigating the government’s handling of complaints against him, Mr Salmond said he was “confident” he knew who had leaked Permanent Secretary Leslie Evans’s report into the complaints, but would “not speculate” without being able to “substantiate” his statement.

The Daily Record revealed that sexual harassment allegations had been made against the former first minister in August 2018, and its reporting included wording from Ms Evans’s document.

Mr Salmond said the story appeared after the Scottish Government had reversed a decision to make the complaints public when it was threatened with an interdict.

Former first minister Alex Salmond has said there should be a police investigation into the leak of complaints against him to the Daily Record newspaper.

Answering questions from Scottish Labour’s Jackie Baillie on the leak, he said the story included details of the complaints, "which demonstrated they had either a copy of, or an extract from, the Permanent Secretary’s report – so someone had to have given them that document”.

Mr Salmond said this was "subsequently confirmed” by the Daily Record’s editor in a BBC documentary by Kirsty Wark.

He said: "As you know the ICO [Information Commissioner’s Office] has investigated the matter and the procurator came to the conclusion that she was sympathetic to idea the source of the leak was from within the Scottish Government … and while they said it was a criminal leak, they had 23 suspects and no way to go beyond that to determining who was responsible.

“I do think it requires further police investigation. I do believe I know the identity [of the person], but I’m not here to speculate on individuals that I can’t substantiate.

"Every statement I make to this committee I intend to have documentary evidence to support. Whoever leaked that document at that time caused enormous distress, certainly broke the law and certainly there have been huge consequences for all concerned as a result of that leak.

“My own feeling about this is ... I’m not saying civil servants leak, they seldom leak and if they do it’s not to the political editor of the Daily Record.

"So I think the leak was politically inspired and I think should require further investigation. The matter shouldn’t be at an end, it’s a hugely serious matter.”

He drew a comparison with a current police investigation “ordered by the Crown Office” into who had leaked information to Kenny MacAskill MP.

“But where is the investigation ordered by the Crown Office into what has been a hugely distressing leak to the Daily Record in August 2018?" he asked.

"As far as I know there has been nothing said or done by the Crown Office in trying to determine where that leak came from.

"There does seem to be a disparity in their attitude to criminal behaviour.”

Jackie Baillie also asked if, at a meeting held between Mr Salmond’s former chief of staff Geoff Aberdein and Nicola Sturgeon, “the name of one of the complainers was shared”?

Mr Salmond confirmed it had been, saying he had been told this by Mr Aberdein and that “three other people know that to be true”.

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