THE Scottish Tories have tabled a motion in Holyrood, calling for the Government to release their legal advice on the Alex Salmond judicial review.
Though non-binding, they say if a majority of MSPs back it, they’ll “bring forward a full parliament debate and vote calling on the government to release the legal advice".
Ministers have so far been reluctant to waive their legal privilege.
Last week, the former First Minister’s lawyer said there was “a clear and overwhelming public interest in the public having the opportunity to read and understand the advice which is said to have justified the Scottish Government spending sums significantly in excess of £500,000 of taxpayers’ money in defending this action”.
Scottish Tory MSP Oliver Mundell, who tabled the motion, said he thought some of Nicola Sturgeon's own backbenchers would support his efforts.
Mundell said: “When he called for a judge-led inquiry on this matter, which the Scottish Conservatives support, the SNP MSP Alex Neil said ‘this is a matter that rises above party politics.’
“We agree, so we are calling for cross-party support from MSPs across the chamber to back our motion and ask the Scottish Government to publish the legal advice they received for the Alex Salmond judicial review.
“The Scottish Government has treated this inquiry as a joke and kept key documents hidden, and the Scottish Parliament has been misled repeatedly and blatantly.
“We are calling on MSPs to stand up for the reputation of the parliament. The legal advice must be published, so we can find out exactly how £500,000 of public money was wasted.”
If the motion is unsuccessful there are suggestions the Tories could call on their wealthy donors to fund a legal attempt to have the papers released.
“The SNP government’s stonewalling over releasing the legal evidence and key documents is unacceptable,” a senior party source told the Times.
“The government has published legal evidence in other situations. It’s significant that they’re hiding it this time. The nuclear option is under discussion and there are enough senior Scottish Conservatives furious at the wasting of more than £500,000 of public money to make this happen.”
Meanwhile, the Holyrood committee probing the judicial review will hear tomorrow from one of the key civil servants behind the botched investigation.
Judith Mckinnon, the Scottish Government’s head of people, was the investigating officer appointed to look into complaints made about the former First Minister, however, she offered the complainers “welfare and support” before the inquiry started — meaning it set aside as unlawful and “tainted by apparent bias”.
Last week, the committee released a redacted copy of the Open Record, which revealed that McKinnon’s prior involvement had been acknowledged by the Scottish Government two months before they conceded the case.
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