NICOLA Sturgeon has said it’s for other people to judge if the fallout of the Alex Salmond row has damaged her leadership.
The First Minister said she had “nothing to fear” from the legal advice given to ministers during the judicial review being made public.
But, she added, the decision on whether not to hand it over to MSPs is still being discussed in Cabinet.
The Scottish Parliament has now twice voted for the legal advice to be shared with the Holyrood committee investigating the government’s botched handling of harassment claims made against Salmond.
Asked if she would like the advice to be made public, Sturgeon told the BBC’s Good Morning Scotland programme: “I’ve got nothing to fear from everything being out there but there is a point of principle here.
“The Cabinet discussed this last week, I took myself out of that Cabinet discussion because I’m recused from these decisions, so it’s really important that I allow that process to take place.
“Because if I was to do some of the things that I’m being asked to around the legal advice on this – without that proper consideration – I would breach the ministerial code and then I’m sure the opposition would have something to say about that.”
The Court of Session found the Scottish Government’s investigation into the allegations was unlawful and “tainted with apparent bias” because investigating officer Judith Mackinnon had prior contact with two women who came forward with complaints.
Mackinnon is due to give evidence to the committee today after being blocked from appearing last week by deputy first minister John Swinney.
Also giving evidence is John Somers, the First Minister’s principal private secretary, often described as her “gatekeeper”.
Last month it emerged that he had twice met a female civil servant who would go on make a formal complaint about the former first minister a few weeks later.
Salmond’s supporters claim he was the victim of a high-level plot to trash his reputation.
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