Alex Salmond has suggested that Scotland’s leadership is not fit to take the country to independence.
In damning oral evidence to the Holyrood Inquiry, he said a move to independence must be accompanied by institutions whose leadership can protect citizens from “arbitrary authority.”
He added: “Scotland hasn’t failed, its leadership has failed."
It came after he blasted Nicola Sturgeon and her Government over their handling of the botched probe into him.
A Holyrood committee is investigating the SNP Government’s botched handling of sexual misconduct complaints against Salmond when he was First Minister.
Salmond took the government to court and it was agreed the internal probe, which destroyed his friendship with Nicola Sturgeon, had been unlawful and tainted by apparent bias.
He was separately acquitted of sexual offences after a trial last year.
In a bombshell submission to the Inquiry, the former First Minister accused Sturgeon of misleading parliament and breaching the ministerial code of conduct on aspects of the tainted government probe.
He has also accused Sturgeon’s husband, SNP chief executive Peter Murrell, and her chief of staff Liz Lloyd of being part of a plot to imprison him.
Giving his eagerly awaited oral evidence, he said the Inquiry was an investigation into the conduct of ministers, civil servants and special advisors.
He added that the Inquiry has a chance to assert the type of Scotland people are trying to create.
However, he said any move to independence must be accompanied by institutions whose leadership is “strong and robust and capable of protecting each and every citizen from arbitrary authority.”
