The Sunday Mail can reveal claims of perjury committed in Alex Salmond ’s sex assault trial are being probed.
Lawyers for the former first minister have written to the Crown Office laying out a series of criminal allegations.
And we have learned the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) has appointed an independent QC to probe the claims along with a senior prosecutor.
A COPFS spokesman said: “Correspondence from Mr Salmond’s solicitor has been received and will be responded to in due course.
“As is standard practice in any case regarding politicians, this will be dealt with by a procurator fiscal and independent Crown Counsel without the involvement of the Law Officers.”
Salmond was cleared in 2020 of sexually assaulting nine women while he was FM.
A jury found the former SNP leader not guilty on 12 of the sexual assault charges facing him, while another was found not proven.
The criminal trial followed a civil case Salmond won against the Scottish Government in January 2019 over its complaints investigation which was ruled to be “unlawful”, “unfair” and “tainted by apparent bias”.
The perjury claims concern evidence given at the Salmond trial which it is claimed is contradicted in statements given to a Holyrood inquiry which probed the Government’s botched case against him.
We can also reveal a police probe into leaks to journalists concerning Salmond’s case has been codenamed Operation Newbiggin, with several people interviewed.
Salmond welcomed the criminal investigations, while declining to comment on the possibility of further civil action against the Scottish Government or Crown Office.
He said: “I welcome the inquiries and will do everything I can to assist.
“The criminal investigations must be allowed to take their course before any other action is taken.”
Salmond believes there was a plot to end his career orchestrated by senior figures close to FM Nicola Sturgeon.
He accused the Scottish Government of a “pantomime of deception and secrecy” when he appeared before a Holyrood inquiry probing the investigation into sexual harassment allegations made against him.
The Government’s conduct was judged “procedurally unfair” by the Court of Session in January 2019 and ministers were forced to pay more than £500,000 to Salmond in legal expenses.
We later revealed ministers had pressed ahead with the case despite their own lawyers making clear months earlier they were likely to lose.
However, Sturgeon denied breaching the ministerial code and branded claims from Salmond “ridiculous conspiracy theories” when she faced MSPs.
A source said: “If anything was to come of the perjury allegations, it would have the potential to spark a major crisis for Nicola Sturgeon and the Scottish Government.
“The Alex Salmond case is something the First Minister desperately wants to put behind her and any new developments would open up old wounds she had hoped were on their way to healing.”
A Police Scotland spokesman referred questions concerning perjury allegations to the Crown Office.
He added: “We have a received two complaints regarding the potential unlawful disclosure of information, which are being investigated.”
The Scottish Government declined to comment.
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