Nicola Sturgeon’s husband has said she did not inform him that sexual misconduct complaints had been made to the Government about Alex Salmond.
Peter Murrell, who is the SNP chief executive, said his wife told him she could not discuss what was talked about at meetings between her and Salmond at the couple’s home.
He said he became aware of the complaints after they were made public in August 2018.
In 2018, the Daily Record revealed that the Government had investigated complaints of sexual misconduct by two women against Salmond.
Salmond took legal action and the internal Government probe was ruled to be unlawful and tainted by apparent bias.
The botched investigation cost the taxpayer over £500,000 and led to a special Holyrood committee being set up.
A key issue being examined by MSPs is contact between Sturgeon and Salmond when the investigation was ongoing. The pair met at Sturgeon’s house and also spoke on the telephone.
She has previously said she met Salmond in her capacity as SNP leader, which put the focus on the party as well as the Government.
Murrell, the SNP’s long standing chief executive, was asked a series of questions by the committee about when he first knew of the complaints and the meetings between his wife and Salmond.
In a response, he said: “I became aware that complaints had been made under the Scottish Government procedure when the matter became public in August 2018.
“I knew about the meetings between Nicola and Alex Salmond at our home on 2 April and 14 July 2018 and I had the sense that something serious was being discussed. Nicola told me she couldn’t discuss the details. The nature of Nicola’s job means that when she tells me she can’t discuss something, I don’t press it.”
Asked by the committee for details of any actions he had taken in a party capacity in relation to the complaints, he replied: “There was no action taken by the SNP in relation to these complaints before the matter became public in August 2018.”
On whether he made any contribution at the meetings between his wife and Salmond, he said:
“I was aware of meetings that took place at our home on 2 April and 14 July 2018, involving certain of the individuals listed. I was not present at these meetings and made no contribution to them.”
In response, Committee convener Linda Fabiani has written again to Murrell and invited him to “revisit certain questions”.
She wrote: “I would be grateful if you could confirm whether you conferred with colleagues to ascertain if they held any information relevant to the Committee’s inquiry as requested in my original letter, or if you based your answers solely on your own direct knowledge and experience.”
She added: “For clarity, the information we are seeking includes, but is not limited to, relevant emails, minutes, notes, texts, papers and WhatsApp messages from all levels of the SNP.”
