THE row over the return of Police Scotland’s beleaguered chief constable shows no sign of letting up, with opposition politicians calling on Justice Secretary Michael Matheson to come clean on the government’s involvement in the affair.

In yesterday’s Sunday Herald it was revealed that Matheson’s right-hand man in the Scottish Civil Service had met with Phil Gormley in November last year.

This meeting was just days after the police chief’s lawyer had accused the minister of acting unlawfully.

Gormley has been on special leave since September last year, after a second complaint of gross misconduct from a senior member of staff.

Those allegations are being looked at by the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner (Pirc).

The chief constable’s leave is considered on a regular basis by the Scottish Police Authority (SPA), which has oversight of the force and holds the police’s leadership to account.

The authority’s board decided on November 7 to allow Gormley to return to work, even though investigations were still ongoing.

However, when Matheson found out about the decision, he complained to the then SPA chair Andrew Flanagan that he had concerns about “due process”.

The SPA then told Gormley he couldn't come back to work.

The chief’s briefs fired off letters to both the SPA and Matheson suggesting the intervention was “unlawful”.

Paul Johnson, a senior government official in Matheson’s team, met Gormley on November 28, two days after that accusation was made.

Gormley’s legal team told the Sunday Herald: “I am instructed by my client to confirm that this meeting between him and the director general Paul Johnston did take place. At the meeting my client discussed and restated his aim of returning to his position of chief constable. This was against the background of the SPA Board’s unanimous decision that my client should return to work. The SPA decision was discussed as was the letter which I had sent to the Cabinet Secretary for Justice, Michael Matheson. I also wrote to Paul Johnston on my client’s behalf following this meeting.”

The Justice Secretary told MSPs this week that he got involved to let the SPA know he could not have confidence in the decision as it had been made “without significant issues having been properly addressed”.

The minister said the body had not informed the Scottish Government or the acting police command team and had failed to ask the Pirc whether Gormley returning to duty would affect its investigation into the misconduct allegations.

Labour’s shadow justice secretary Daniel Johnson said he was worried about a lack of public confidence in the leadership the national force, and a fear that the operational independence of the SPA was is being compromised.

“The past year has shattered public confidence in the Scottish Government’s handling of policing,” he said.

“Full disclosure of the actions taken by Mr Matheson and his officials relating to the Gormley case would be a key step in rebuilding that trust.”

He has written to the government asking them to “publish a full record of the interactions you and your officials have had with regard to Mr Gormley’s employment status and the investigation into his conduct.”

In his letter he adds that it is ”vital to avoid political involvement regarding the appointment or ongoing employment of police officers.”

A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: “The Cabinet Secretary made a statement to parliament in which he clearly set out the reasons and circumstances around his intervention in November.

“This was followed up by a letter from the Director General Education, Communities and Justice to the Public Audit and Post-Legislative Scrutiny Committee on Friday, providing additional information.”