ALEX Salmond has written to the Scottish Government demanding an inquiry into the identity of the person who leaked details about the investigation into allegations of sexual harassment made against him dating back to 2013.
Material appeared on the Daily Record website on Thursday evening alleging that two women’s complaints of “sexual assault” had been referred to Police Scotland by the Scottish Government. Salmond said that the allegations were in fact related to sexual harassment, which he denies.
The referral was made after a report into the allegations was compiled by Leslie Evans, head of the civil service in Scotland.
READ MORE: Why it’s important not to be partisan over sexual harassment claims
A Police Scotland spokesman said: “We are carrying out an assessment of information which we have received and enquiries are at an early stage.”
Salmond’s legal challenge consists of seeking a judicial review into the procedures of the Scottish Government for dealing with complaints about former ministers.
That procedure was only made public at midnight on Thursday, a few hours after the story broke.
All matters involved in such an inquiry are supposed to remain confidential and Salmond is believed to have been going to court to preserve that confidentiality when the Record’s report appeared, unleashing a media frenzy that showed no sign of abating last night.
Salmond told The National: “The whole process is supposed to be confidential to preserve the anonymity of the people who made the complaint and those who are complained about, but in my case someone within the Scottish Government decided to leak details of the matter, including some misleading information.
READ MORE: Alex Salmond denies harassment claims but Nicola Sturgeon says they can't be ignored
“I think it is incumbent upon the Scottish Government to investigate the source of the article which has destroyed any semblance of confidentiality in this case both for me and the complainers.”
The National understands that one complaint was made by a civil servant and the other by a former civil servant.
Salmond has strongly denied the allegations of harassment and “absolutely refutes any semblance of criminality.”
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