The Alex Salmond Inquiry is in “crisis” for refusing to publish a bombshell submission by the former First Minister, an MSP warned.
Alex Cole-Hamilton, who is a member of the inquiry team, raised his concerns and called for an urgent summit today claiming the “credibility” of the probe is “on the line”.
The Inquiry is examining the Scottish Government's unlawful investigation into sexual misconduct complaints against Salmond.
The fiasco destroyed the friendship between Sturgeon and Salmond, whose allies believe he was targeted by the government and SNP figures.
James Hamilton, an ex director of public prosecutions in Ireland, is heading a separate investigation into whether Sturgeon broke her own ministerial code.
This relates to meetings Sturgeon and Salmond had in the middle of her government’s investigation.
Salmond’s legal team, as part of his written evidence, shared his submission to the Hamilton probe with the committee.
In the document, Salmond accused Sturgeon of breaches of the Ministerial Code of Conduct and of misleading parliament. Sturgeon denies the allegations.
However, as revealed by the Daily Record, the Inquiry has decided not to publish it even though the submission was widely reported in the media.
Salmond described the move as "farcical" and said he would be consulting advisers on "what to do now".
Holyrood sources fear the decision could lead to Salmond pulling out of his oral evidence session next week.
In a tweet, Lib Dem Cole-Hamilton outlined what he regarded as the gravity of the situation: “Salmond Inquiry is in crisis and I have just called for an urgent meeting of the ctte to be held at 1pm.
“We’re unable to publish a key submission of evidence from Mr Salmond, but that does not mean he is prohibited from referring to its contents on Tuesday.”
He added: “The credibility of our committee is on the line. If we are to get to the bottom of why the government failed the women at the heart of this, then we must hear from the subject of its investigation.”
