Alex Salmond launches £3m legal case against Scottish government over botched harassment complaints
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Alex Salmond is launching a new legal case against the Scottish government seeking £3m in damages over the botched handling of harassment complaints against him in 2018.
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The case relates to a previous judicial review which found the investigation process was "tainted with apparent bias". The government apologized and paid his legal costs.
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It comes after Salmond was cleared of sexual assault charges in a 2020 criminal trial and a 2021 parliamentary inquiry which was critical of the government's actions.
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Salmond has accused senior SNP figures including Nicola Sturgeon of being part of a "malicious plot" against him, which they deny. The inquiry cleared Sturgeon of breaking ministerial code.
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The new legal action names Sturgeon and senior civil servant Leslie Evans, who Salmond argues should have resigned over the case. The government pledges to "robustly" defend the action.