THE First Minister has been urged to ensure her personal communications are preserved if they could be relevant to a probe into the Scottish Government’s handling of misconduct allegations against Alex Salmond.
A committee set up to look at what happened said she should keep both hard copy and electronic documents, including any personal communications such as email and mobile phone data.
The letter comes after Scotland’s most senior civil servant, Permanent Secretary Leslie Evans, told them Scottish Government computer systems automatically delete material not saved on to the corporate record system after a period of time.
But Evans assured MSPs on the Committee on the Scottish Government Handling of Harassment Complaints, which she ordered to be set up, that this feature can be temporarily suspended for some users.
Committee convener Linda Fabiani wrote to the First Minister after she pledged to answer to the “fullest extent possible” any questions regarding her involvement with a legal challenge her predecessor brought against the Scottish Government.
Salmond challenged the way sexual misconduct allegations had been handled, taking his case to the Court of Session in Edinburgh.
It ruled the process had been “unlawful” after it emerged the investigating officer had previous contact with the two women who made the allegations.
Following that ruling in January, Evans pledged an internal review of procedures within the Scottish Government would be carried out.
MSPs on the committee have already agreed their investigations are to be put on hold until the conclusion of a court case against the former SNP leader. He has been charged with 14 offences, including two of attempted rape. Salmond denies “absolutely these allegations of criminality”.
A spokesman for Sturgeon said: “The First Minister will comply with the request from the committee.”
And a Scottish Government spokeswoman said Evans had received the letter and “will co-operate fully”.
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