The Scottish first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, has said the attempted rape and sexual assault charges against her predecessor Alex Salmond will have no impact on her drive for independence.
Sturgeon told The Andrew Marr Show on BBC One that the case for independence was “bigger than any one man” and confirmed she would set out her plans for a second independence referendum in the coming weeks.
She was being interviewed in the wake of the disclosure that Salmond, 64, had been arrested and charged last week on nine counts of sexual assault, two of attempted rape, two charges of indecent assault and one of breach of the peace.
Salmond, a former first minister and Scottish National party leader, vociferously denied wrongdoing. He insisted after his appearance at Edinburgh sheriff court on Thursday that he was innocent of the 14 charges against him.
Speaking to reporters outside court, Salmond said: “Let me say from the outset, I am innocent of any criminality whatsoever. [I] refute absolutely these allegations of criminality and I will defend myself to the utmost in court.”
It emerged on Saturday that Salmond will continue hosting his weekly politics chatshow for the Kremlin-funded Russian broadcaster RT, despite the charges and his court appearance.
RT, an English-language television and online news channel based in London, said in a brief statement on Saturday that the chatshow would remain on air “at this time”.
Interviewed by Marr, Sturgeon said last week’s developments “were a shock to absolutely everyone, there is no denying that”. She added that she could not comment any further on the case.
Asked whether the charges against Salmond would damage the SNP or affect her quest for independence, Sturgeon said: “No, I don’t think it has an impact on the future political and constitutional direction of Scotland.
“The case for independence is bigger than any one man. It’s bigger than any one woman. It’s not about individual personalities.
“It’s about what is best for the country now and in the longer term. It’s about how we put ourselves in the best position to protect our interests and build prosperity and fairness in Scotland.”
Sturgeon has been due to update the Scottish parliament and voters on her plans for a second independence vote since last autumn but had delayed doing so until the outcome of the Brexit negotiations became clear.
Her original attempt to use Brexit as the justification for a second referendum backfired after the SNP lost 21 of its 56 Westminster seats in the 2017 snap general election.
Popular support for independence has slightly increased in recent months amid the turmoil over Theresa May’s Brexit strategy but opinion polls show support for leaving the UK is still six to 10 points behind remain, excluding the “don’t knows”.
RT said on Saturday it was not able to comment on the court appearance. It added: “This matter does not concern anything related to the Alex Salmond Show or RT, and The Alex Salmond Show will continue on air as usual at this time.
“It is important to note, irrespective of the findings on this matter in court, that we believe firmly in the principles of a fair trial, including both the right to justice for victims and the presumption of innocence, and that we utterly condemn sexual misconduct in any form.”
The chatshow is made for RT by Slainte Media, which is jointly owned and produced by Salmond and the former SNP MP Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh, who like Salmond, lost her seat in the 2017 snap general election.
Earlier this month, Ahmed-Sheikh was fined £3,000 and found guilty of professional misconduct by the Scottish Solicitors’ Discipline Tribunal for mishandling a trust fund set up at Hamilton Burns, the former legal firm she helped run.
The tribunal said she and her business partner, had shown disregard for the rules by failing to keep proper accounts.
The pair insisted they had made no personal profit or been dishonest. The Scottish Solicitors’ Discipline Tribunal accepted that the pair’s actions had been “genuine but erroneous”, and it was agreed that there was no suggestion of dishonesty or personal benefit.
