“Delighted and obviously relieved! ” Nicola Sturgeon, the first minister of Scotland, logically sighed with pleasure on Monday 22 March after coming out cleared of suspicion of lying to the Scottish Parliament, following the publication of an independent report examining his management of the “Salmond affair”.
The stakes were high: an opposite conclusion would probably have forced her to resign. A catastrophe for this brilliant 50-year-old policy, but also for the cause of Scottish independence seven weeks before a crucial election: the renewal of the Scottish Parliament. The SNP independence party is counting on the charisma of its leader to win the absolute majority and to demand in London a second referendum on the independence of the nation, seven years after the – lost – in 2014.
What was the Prime Minister’s fault for? The “Salmond affair” is as complex as it is deeply personal for Mr.me Sturgeon. At the end of 2017, in the midst of the #metoo movement, the Scottish head of government accepts the principle of internal investigations into possible cases of sexual harassment within the executive and the Scottish Parliament. A few weeks later, it appears that two women have filed a complaint against Alex Salmond, her “Mentor” and “ closest friend “, former SNP leader and former prime minister, who passed the torch to him just after the 2014 referendum.
Deep division
Outraged, Mr. Salmond disputes the seriousness of the facts with which he is accused, denounces the way in the government investigation was conducted. He succeeds: the government recognizes procedural flaws. However, a criminal trial was initiated against the former prime minister but, in March 2020, Mr. Salmond was completely cleared of the thirteen charges against him, including charges of rape. Since then, driven by revenge, convinced of having been the victim of a “Conspiracy” aiming to “Destroy his political future”, Mr. Salmond seemed determined to bring down his ex-protege.
James Hamilton, former Irish Attorney General, has been tasked with investigating statements made by Mr.me Sturgeon in the Scottish Parliament. The leader claimed to have heard for the first time about the sexual harassment complaints against Mr. Salmond in early April 2018, from the very mouth of her ex-mentor. Some suspected her of having known about it a few days before. Mme Sturgeon claimed ” no longer remember perfectly “ of their conversations during this period, but explained that they refused ” to put complaints under the carpet “ on the grounds that Mr. Salmond was a powerful man, ” good that he asked me ”. In his report, Mr. Hamilton concludes that the Prime Minister gave “ an incomplete version ” events without it being ” deliberate ” and therefore does not ” deceived “ the parliament.
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