A Sunday Mail investigation shows the astonishing mounting cost of Nicola Sturgeon’s ill-fated court battle with Alex Salmond.
Despite serious flaws in the case against the former first minister being identified on September 27, 2018, officials ploughed on at a cost of £127,000.
More than a month later, on October 31, the Scottish Government’s own lawyer, Roddy Dunlop, gave legal advice stating that to continue could be “defending the indefensible”.
Another £91,000 in costs was added taking the total to £218,000.
On December 6, Dunlop again advised abandoning the case. But First Minister Nicola Sturgeon’s team still refused – despite the running total reaching £281,500.
By December 19, Dunlop issued a furious legal warning that “we are now in a position where we think that maintaining a defence...may be unstatable”.
However, there was no concession, with another £96,000 added to the final settlement. The cost to the public purse was then £377,500. By the time the case was finally abandoned on January 3, the bill reached £512,500.
Those figures only cover the cost of Salmond’s legal fees, which the Scottish Government was ordered to pay.
The total legal bill for the judicial review was £692,000 once the Scottish Government’s own external lawyers’ fees were added.
