Salmond furore is a “crisis of credibility” for Holyrood

Opposition parties in Holyrood are up in arms over the handling of the inquiry into the SNP government’s botched handling of the sexual harassment complaints made against Alex Salmond by civil servants. The latest controversy centres on the decision to partially redact evidence submitted by Salmond on the grounds it contained details that could be used to identify complainants. The decision was made after the evidence had already been published on the Scottish Parliament’s website – in response to a request by the Crown Office which is in charge of public prosecutions in Scotland.

The Conservative and Labour parties are now demanding an explanation for this extraordinary move. Douglas Ross MP, the leader of the Scottish Conservatives, said the Scottish parliament was facing a “crisis of credibility” and demanded the Crown Office explains its actions.

Ross further alleged the dual role played by James Wolffe QC – who serves both as Lord Advocate at the Crown Office and as the Scottish government’s chief legal adviser – might represent a conflict of interest. This echoes allegations made in the documents Salmond submitted to the inquiry, that the Crown Office is unfit for purpose and too close to the current Scottish government.

Ruth Davidson, the former Scottish Conservative leader, back standing in at Holyrood while Ross seeks a seat in May’s elections, has demanded an independent judge-led inquiry into why the Scottish government was blocking the inquiry committee’s access to key information. She added: “This has now got to the structure of democracy in Scotland, and whether our institutions are robust or whether they have been corrupted.”

Scottish Labour has echoed these calls. Jackie Baillie, Scottish Labour’s interim leader who is also serving on the inquiry committee, said: “The Crown Office’s unprecedented intervention yesterday demands explanation – we cannot have this parliament cowed into submission by the will of the Crown Office.” She also demanded that Wolffe appear before the inquiry committee to explain the Crown Office’s decision claiming that the “credibility” of the Scottish parliament was at stake.

In response to the redaction, Salmond has refused to appear before the committee today as he was scheduled to. He has said he will appear on Friday instead. In a public statement the former First Minister not only called for an explanation but also said that he had “instructed his lawyers to request specifically that the Crown “preserve and retain all material and communications with all or any third parties which led to their decision to intervene at the very last minute just as he was set to give his evidence.” Having won one legal battle when he was cleared of 13 sexual assault charges last year, it seems he is preparing for another.