Alex Salmond sex assault trial perjury claims being investigated

dailyrecord.co.uk:

The Sunday Mail can reveal claims of perjury committed in Alex Salmond ’s sex assault trial are being probed. Lawyers for the former first minister have written to the Crown Office laying out a series of criminal allegations.

And we have learned the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) has appointed an independent QC to probe the claims along with a senior prosecutor.A COPFS spokesman said: “Correspondence from Mr Salmond’s solicitor has been received and will be responded to in due course.“As is standard practice in any case regarding politicians, this will be dealt with by a procurator fiscal and independent Crown Counsel without the involvement of the Law Officers.”Salmond was cleared in 2020 of sexually assaulting nine women while he was FM.A jury found the former SNP leader not guilty on 12 of the sexual assault charges facing him, while another was found not proven.The criminal trial followed a civil case Salmond won against the Scottish Government in January 2019 over its complaints investigation which was ruled to be “unlawful”, “unfair” and “tainted by apparent bias”.The perjury claims concern evidence given at the Salmond trial which it is claimed is contradicted in statements given to a Holyrood inquiry which probed the Government’s botched case against him.We can also reveal a police probe into leaks to journalists concerning Salmond’s case has been codenamed Operation Newbiggin, with several people interviewed.Salmond welcomed the criminal investigations, while declining to comment on the possibility of further civil action against the Scottish Government or Crown Office.He said: “I welcome the inquiries and will do everything I can to assist.“The criminal investigations must be allowed to