THE Scottish Parliament spent more than £40,000 on legal advice as MSPs probed the Scottish Government’s handling of sexual harassment allegations against former First Minister Alex Salmond.
New papers released by Holyrood showed that the bill for external legal advice came to £41,633.
That was advice to both the Committee on the Scottish Government Handling of Sexual Harassment Complaints, and the Scottish Parliament Corporate Body.
As part of its investigation, MSPs on the committee took evidence from two female civil servants who made complaints, as well as questioning both Salmond and his successor First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, in lengthy evidence sessions.
A majority of MSPs on the committee later concluded that Sturgeon had misled them, claiming there was a “fundamental contradiction” in her evidence on whether she agreed to intervene to help Salmond in the investigation.
But an independent report by James Hamilton (pictured) cleared Sturgeon of breaching the ministerial code over her role in the saga.
As well as the money spent on external legal advice, the committee also spent £253.15 on witness expenses over the course of the inquiry.
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