THE Crown Office is investigating allegations of perjury during the trial of Alex Salmond.
According to the Sunday Mail, the former first minister’s representatives have written to prosecutors over concerns statements made to court were contradicted in a later parliamentary inquiry into the Scottish Government’s handling of harassment complaints.
In March 2020, Salmond was cleared of sexually assaulting nine women, while a further charge of sexually assaulting a 10th woman was dropped by prosecutors.
He was found not guilty of 12 sexual assault charges, while another was found not proven.
A separate civil case in 2019 found the Scottish Government’s investigation into complaints against him had been “unlawful” and “tainted by bias”.
The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) has appointed an independent QC and a senior prosecutor to look into the fresh claims made by Salmond’s lawyers.
A COPFS spokesman told the Sunday Mail: “Correspondence from Mr Salmond’s solicitor has been received and will be responded to in due course.
“As is standard practice in any case regarding politicians, this will be dealt with by a procurator fiscal and independent Crown Counsel without the involvement of the Law Officers.”
The paper also reported police have interviewed several people in “Operation Newbiggin” – an investigation into leaks to journalists over Salmond’s case.
The Alba leader said: “I welcome the inquiries and will do everything I can to assist.
“The criminal investigations must be allowed to take their course before any other action is taken.”
The Scottish Government declined to comment.
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