Alex Salmond claimed “Scotland’s leadership has failed” as he launched a blistering attack on Nicola Sturgeon during his appearance at a Scottish Parliament inquiry.
The former First Minister is giving evidence on a botched investigation into sexual harassment claims made against him.
The Government’s investigation of the allegations was found to be “tainted by apparent bias” after it emerged the investigating officer had prior contact with two of the women who made complaints.
Mr Salmond was cleared of 13 charges of sexual assault.
He told the Committee on the Scottish Government Handling of Harassment Complaints on Friday that the “failures of leadership are many and obvious” and no one had “taken responsibility”.
“The Government acted illegally but somehow nobody is to blame,” he said.
Meanwhile, he claimed the committee he was appearing before had been asked to do its job “with both hands tied behind its back and a blindfold on”.
He added: “Scotland hasn’t failed, its leadership has failed.
“The importance of this inquiry is for each and everyone of us to help put this right.”
Mr Salmond rejected calls from Ms Sturgeon that he should provide evidence to back up his claims of a conspiracy.
He stressed it was the Scottish Government who had been “found to have acted unlawfully, unfairly and tainted by apparent bias” by the Court of Session.
He said: “I note that the First Minister asserts I have to prove a case, I don’t. That has already been done. There have been two court cases, two judges, one jury.
“In this inquiry it is the Scottish Government, a government which has already admitted to behaving unlawfully, who are under examination.”
Mr Salmond told the inquiry that “some consequences” should follow on from “unlawful conduct”.
“I think the leadership of these institutions have serious questions to answer,” he said.
“When you get to the stage that a government behaves unlawfully – I mean, this is not something that happens very often.
“I’m on the record politically, when governments have behaved unlawfully, of regarding matters a huge and heinous thing to have happened. It’s not a slight matter.
“Some consequences should follow from unlawful conduct.”
During the inquiry, MSPs have so far taken evidence from civil servants, including repeated sessions from Permanent Secretary Leslie Evans, trade unions and SNP chief executive Peter Murrell, who is First Minister Ms Sturgeon’s husband.
The committee has repeatedly voiced frustration with how slow the handling of evidence has been from a number of parties.
The Scottish Government was accused of obstruction last year, with the committee saying it was “completely frustrated” with the lack of evidence.
