The most explosive claims made in Alex Salmond's submission

Former first minister Alex Salmond has claimed there was a “malicious and concerted” attempt to see him removed from public life, in an explosive dossier published this evening.

Alex Salmond's evidence to the harassment complaints committee has been published

The submission by the former first minister was published by the Committee on the Scottish Government Handling of Harassment Complaints.

And here are some of the most explosive claims made by Mr Salmond in which he names a series of people he alleges to have been part of efforts to damage his reputation.

* "The Parliamentary Committee has already heard evidence of activities by civil servants, special advisers, ministers and SNP officials, which taken individually could be put down to incompetence, albeit on an epic scale. However, taken together and over such a prolonged period, it becomes impossible to explain such conduct as inadvertent co-incidence. The inescapable conclusion is of a malicious and concerted attempt to damage my reputation and remove me from public life in Scotland.”

* "It is impossible to accept that such a radical expansion of the jurisdiction of the Scottish Government to cover not just former ministers of the current administration, but also those of previous administrations (many of whom are no longer even in elected office never mind in government) was not specifically inserted to allow the complaint against me to be prosecuted.”

* “Despite her protestations to the contrary, the Permanent Secretary was chiefly responsible for the pursuit of an unlawful policy which has cost the Scottish people millions of pounds.”

* “The damage she has done to the reputation of the civil service is very significant. In my view, any person conscious of the responsibility of holding high office would have resigned long ago. Instead Ms Evans’ contract was extended.”

* “The fact that even after the Government case collapsed, misinformation then appeared in both a press release from the Permanent Secretary and the First Minister’s statement to Parliament of 8th January 2019 speaks to an organisation unable and unwilling to admit the truth even after a catastrophic defeat, the terms of which they had conceded to the Court of Session.”

* “I intend to return to that police complaint when this committee has concluded its review. I should say that I am confident that I know the identity of those involved in the leak.”

* “I leave to others the question of what is, or is not, a conspiracy, but am very clear in my position that the evidence supports a deliberate, prolonged, malicious and concerted effort amongst a range of individuals within the Scottish Government and the SNP to damage my reputation, even to the extent of having me imprisoned. That includes, for the avoidance of doubt, Peter Murrell (Chief Executive), Ian McCann (Compliance officer) and Sue Ruddick (Chief Operating Officer) of the SNP together with Liz Lloyd, the First Minister’s chief of staff. There are others who, for legal reasons, I am not allowed to name.”

* “The only beneficiaries of that decision to withhold evidence are those involved in conduct designed to damage (and indeed imprison) me.”

* “It was clear that defeat in the Judicial Review would have severe consequences. Cabinet ministers thought it should lead to the resignation of the Permanent Secretary. The special adviser most associated with the policy believed that her job was in jeopardy and accordingly sought to change press releases in light of that. The First Minister’s team felt threatened by the process as did the civil service. The documentary evidence shows that special advisers were using civil servants and working with SNP officials in a fishing expedition to recruit potential complainants.”

* On the Crown Office:

“This is not the behaviour of a prosecution department independent of government influence. The Crown Office under current leadership is a department simply not fit for purpose.”

* “As was glaringly clear from his evidence and his inability to address the most basic of questions, his denial of provision of the legal advice of external counsel, his costly delay in settling the case, his refusal to confirm what the committee eventually found out that both counsel threatened to resign from the case, the Lord Advocate is deeply compromised between his twin roles as head of prosecutions and chief government legal adviser.”

* “The real cost to the Scottish people runs into many millions of pounds and yet no-one in this entire process has uttered the simple words which are necessary on occasions to renew and refresh democratic institutions - ‘I resign’. The committee now has the opportunity to address that position.”