A submission to the Holyrood Inquiry by Alex Salmond’s former chief of staff will not be published.
Geoff Aberdein’s evidence was provided three months ago but the decision not to make it available was made after the Parliament cited its “legal obligations”.
A special Holyrood committee is examining the SNP Government’s unlawful investigation into sexual misconduct complaints against the former First Minister.
The debacle cost the taxpayer over £500,000 and ended the friendship between Sturgeon and Salmond, whose allies believe he was targeted by the Government and SNP figures.
Salmond was also charged with sexual offences, but acquitted after a trial last year.
A key issue under the microscope for the Committee Inquiry is the contact between Salmond and Sturgeon during the Government investigation in 2018.
The pair met several times, including at Sturgeon’s home, and also spoke on the telephone.
She later said that she had forgotten about an earlier meeting with Aberdein, who was Salmond’s top adviser, in her Holyrood office.
The Inquiry wrote to Aberdein in July and he provided his submission in October, but the committee website states it will not be published:
“The Parliament can only publish submissions where publication is compliant with the legal obligations on the Scottish Parliament Corporate Body, which may be different than legal obligations on individual submitters.
“As a result of this process, the Parliament has decided that a number of these submissions should not be published, including the submission from Geoff Aberdein. A number of other submissions have been redacted.”
Committee member Alex Cole-Hamilton, a Lib Dem MSP, was quoted in the Times saying: “I fear that the final conclusion may be incomplete as a result.”
Meanwhile, Salmond has alleged the Scottish Government’s “reprehensible” failure to release “crucial” documents put him at a disadvantage in both his criminal trial and during his legal challenge against the Government’s investigation.
The former first minister revealed his legal team will ask the Lord Advocate whether the Government was in contempt of court over the “withholding of relevant evidence”.
Salmond has criticised the Government for not providing his legal team with some of the documents that have now been released, and questioned whether it amounted to contempt of court.
A Scottish Government Spokesperson said: “The Permanent Secretary and other Scottish Government witnesses have already addressed these issues in their evidence sessions. The Scottish Government will continue to cooperate fully with the Committee.”
