THE Scottish Government has confirmed it has paid £512,250 in legal costs to Alex Salmond after a court ruled its handling of complaints made against him were "unlawful".

The former First Minister launched legal action against the Scottish Government in August 2018 to contest the complaints process activated against him in relation to sexual harassment allegations, which Salmond has denied.

At a hearing at the Court of Session in Edinburgh in January, judge Lord Pentland said the Government's actions had been "unlawful in respect that they were procedurally unfair" and had been "tainted with apparent bias".

The Scottish Government admitted it had breached its own guidelines by appointing an investigating officer who had "prior involvement" in the case.

Today, a spokesman for the Scottish Government confirmed the cost of the final settlement.

He said: "We can confirm that final settlement of £512,250 has been made to Salmond for legal costs arising from his petition for judicial review.”