ALEX Salmond has responded emphatically to LibDem demands that he donates all the money he made from broadcasting with RT to Ukrainian refugees, revealing hundreds of thousands in charitable donations.
The former First Minister hit out at Alex Cole-Hamilton, the leader of the Scottish LibDems, after he was accused of “laundering the reputation of the Kremlin on UK TV” due to broadcasting on the state-backed RT.
The LibDem MSP said Salmond “should donate his fee for that service to those charities helping Ukrainians flee the illegal and barbaric invasion of their country by Russia”.
Responding, Salmond said he had never sought to “advertise my charitable donations or use them for political purposes”, but since the question had been asked, he would answer.
READ MORE: Donate cash made from RT show to Ukraine's refugees, Alex Salmond urged
The Alba leader told The National: “In the years since I became First Minister of Scotland I have donated over £230,000 to charities and good causes.
“The principal donations have been through the Mary Salmond Trust in the northeast of Scotland but many other donations have been made across Scotland, in the UK, and internationally.”
He added that his “most recent donations have been to assist in helping Ukrainian refugees” fleeing the “illegal invasion” of their country.
The former First Minister then issued his own challenge to the LibDem MSP.
“Since I have answered the question, then let me now ask Mr Cole-Hamilton: what has been the full extent of Mr Cole-Hamilton’s total charitable donations since he went onto the public payroll in 2016?
“On a quick calculation, the public have paid him in salary alone something approaching £400,000. How much of that, if anything, has Mr Cole-Hamilton devoted to charitable giving?”
Cole-Hamilton was first elected in 2016, and MSPs are currently paid a salary of £66,662 per annum.
The Times reported that Slàinte Media, the production company behind The Alex Salmond Show, had a total equity of £334,000 in the year to November 2020.
Salmond also addressed his association with RT, saying that he had taken “immediate” action to suspend his show with the broadcaster in the wake of the invasion of Ukraine.
He said that “given how this tragedy has unfolded” that action would also be “final”, implying the suspension would not herald a later return to the channel.
READ MORE: Alex Salmond suspends RT show following Putin's invasion of Ukraine
Salmond said: “Slàinte Media is an independent Scottish production company in which I have a minority share. Slàinte was contracted to produce a political programme which was broadcast on RT, and which I presented.
“On the day of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, I took the unilateral decision to suspend the programme and announced so publicly.
“RT remains to this day an authorised broadcaster in the UK, licensed by Ofcom, and thus the decision I took was not forced but motivated by the fact that I have opposed every illegal invasion by one country of another for the last thirty years, regardless of the countries involved. This is an illegal invasion.
“My action was immediate, decisive and, given how this tragedy has unfolded, final.”
The Scottish LibDems have been approached for comment.
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