No police action after Alex Salmond leak investigation
- Published
Mr Salmond said he believed there was was no doubt that a "criminal leak" had taken place
Police investigating the alleged leak of information about the Scottish government's inquiry into harassment allegations against Alex Salmond have said that no action will be taken.
The Daily Record reported in 2018 that two female civil servants had complained about Mr Salmond's conduct.
The Scottish government and information commissioner failed to establish how the newspaper obtained the details.
Mr Salmond subsequently referred the matter to the police.
In a statement released on Thursday afternoon, Police Scotland said: "Our enquiries are now complete and no further action is being taken.
"Should further information become available this will be considered."
The police investigation into the leak was known as Operation Newbiggin.
Responding to the announcement on X, formerly Twitter, Mr Salmond said there was no doubt that a "criminal leak" had taken place and criticised a quote attributed to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) in the Daily Record, external that it had not received a police report.
Mr Salmond wrote: "The police have confirmed that they submitted reports to COPFS on Newbiggin before and after Christmas.
"Nor is there any doubt that a criminal leak took place - that's the basis of the two-year investigation. The question is 'whodunnit. Here's an interesting paradox. The police can't find out in a criminal inquiry in 2 years, what much of Scotland's social media have known for 5.
"This latest Crown Office blunder underlines that they are an organisation unfit for purpose and any root & branch reform of criminal justice in Scotland should not start with an attack on juries but in putting a proper distance between the Govt and the prosecutorial service".
A spokesman for COPFS told BBC Scotland News: "It is standard practice that any case regarding politicians is dealt with by prosecutors without the involvement of the Law Officers. All Scotland's prosecutors act independently of political interference.
"We do not provide details of investigations. However, we confirm when police submit a standard prosecution report (SPR) for the purposes of consideration of a prosecution. No SPR was submitted for this police investigation."
The Scottish government launched an internal investigation in 2018 after the two women made formal complaints about Mr Salmond's behaviour, with the allegations dating back to when he was first minister and the leader of the SNP.
Details of a report written by former permanent secretary Leslie Evans into complaints against Mr Salmond were published in the Daily Record newspaper in 2018
Some of the complaints were upheld in a decision report written by Leslie Evans, who was the Scottish government's most senior civil servant at the time, who said they were "well founded".
However, these findings were set aside when Mr Salmond successfully challenged the newly-devised complaints handling procedure in court.
The government conceded that the probe had broken rules and been "tainted by apparent bias" because the investigating officer had some prior contact with the complainers.
Mr Salmond, who now leads the Alba Party, was awarded costs of more than £500,000, and was later cleared of all charges in a separate criminal trial.
The initial Daily Record story revealing details of the complaints made about him was written by journalist David Clegg, who quoted an "anonymous whistleblower".
Further extracts from Ms Evans' report were later published in book written by Mr Clegg and fellow journalist Kieran Andrews.
Information Commissioner's Office carried out an inquiry into the leak, which concluded that it had "sympathy with the hypothesis that the leak came from an employee of the Scottish government".
But it said there was "insufficient evidence to point to any specific suspect and to allow the investigation to move forward".