Alex Salmond sexual harassment scandal

Alex Salmond scandal
Former First Minister Alex Salmond and his successor Nicola Sturgeon were at the centre of the political scandal.
Events
List Premiership of Nicola Sturgeon Internal investigation Judicial review HM Advocate v Salmond Hamilton inquiry Scottish Parliament Committee 2021 Scottish Parliament election Timeline of the Alex Salmond scandal
People
Scottish Government First Minister Nicola Sturgeon Deputy First Minster John Swinney Permanent Secretary Leslie Evans
Scottish Parliament Committee Convenor Linda Fabiani (SNP) Margaret Mitchell (Conservative Party) Alasdair Allan (SNP) Jackie Baillie (Labour) Alex Cole-Hamilton (Liberal Democrats) Murdo Fraser (Conservative) Alison Johnstone (Green) Stuart McMillan (SNP) Maureen Watt (SNP)
Scottish National Party Peter Murrell
Judiciary James Hamilton QC Elish Angiolini QC Lady Dorrian Gordon Jackson Shelagh McCall Alex Prentice
Related Alex Salmond
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This article is part of a series about Alex Salmond
Political positions Electoral History Scottish independence Social nationalism SNP (until 2018) Alba Party (since 2021) Leader of the SNP First Term 1990 SNP leadership election Scottish devolution 1999 election Second Term 2004 SNP leadership election First Minister of Scotland Premiership First Ministry 2007 election Free Tuition Fees Abdelbaset al-Megrahi's Release Glasgow Airport attack Free Prescription charges Second Ministry 2011 re-election 2014 European election 2014 referendum Resignation Post Premiership Alex Salmond scandal Leader of the Alba Party 2021 election Indyref2 UK General elections 1992 1997 2005 2010
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This article is part of a series about Nicola Sturgeon
Political positions Electoral history MSP for Glasgow Southside Deputy First Minister of Scotland Salmond Ministry 2004 deputy leadership election Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing Tobacco sale restrictions Minimum unit pricing Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure, Capital Investment and Cities Independence referendum Votes at 16 2014 Scottish independence referendum First Minister of Scotland First Ministry and Term 2014 leadership election Revenue Scotland LBTT SLfT Community right to buy Second Ministry and Term 2016 Scottish election Proposed second independence referendum Brexit referendum People's Vote Social Security Scotland Scottish National Investment Bank Alex Salmond sexual harassment scandal COVID-19 pandemic Third Ministry and Term 2021 Scottish election Bute House Agreement COP26 Ferry fiasco Operation Branchform Cost of living crisis Bin worker strikes ScotRail strikes 2023 proposed independence referendum 2022 Supreme Court referral Gender reform bill Resignation 2023 leadership election UK General elections 2015 2017 2019
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The Alex Salmond sexual harassment scandal was a political scandal in Scotland concerning the alleged conduct of former First Minister and Scottish National Party (SNP) leader Alex Salmond while in office. From 2018, Salmond faced multiple allegations of sexual misconduct, including sexual assault and attempted rape, but in 2020 was ultimately found not guilty on 12 charges, and not proven on one of sexual assault with intent to rape; one sexual assault charge was previously withdrawn by the Crown.^[1]

There was an associated feud within the SNP between Salmond and his supporters and Nicola Sturgeon and her supporters: Salmond has repeatedly claimed irregularities in the Scottish Government's investigation into his conduct, for which he was awarded damages in 2019. He has continued to assert that his prosecution was the result of a conspiracy within the Scottish Government to discredit him and remove him from public life. Nicola Sturgeon referred herself to an independent ethics inquiry to examine her own actions with respect to the allegations against Salmond, led by James Hamilton. A Parliamentary Committee was also convened to examine the government's handling of harassment complaints. In 2021, the committee concluded that Nicola Sturgeon had misled parliament in her recounting of her knowledge of the complaints against Salmond, but the independent investigation into her conduct carried out by James Hamilton concluded that this did not amount to a breach of the ministerial code.

Since the conclusion of the parliamentary and independent inquiries, Salmond has continued to pursue legal action against the Scottish Government, alleging misfeasance by civil servants over the mishandling of the harassment investigation.