Nicola Sturgeon claims Alex Salmond may have leaked sexual misconduct inquiry details about himself
In an excerpt from her new book, Frankly, published by The Times, Sturgeon denies she was the one who leaked the outcome of a Scottish government investigation about her predecessor as first minister to the press.
Salmond died in October 2024 at the age of 69 from a heart attack in North Macedonia.
The Alba Party founder was investigated by the Scottish government in 2018 after two women made allegations of sexual misconduct against him.
The findings were leaked to The Daily Record the day before they were due to be published, prompting Salmond to launch a judicial review of the handling of the inquiry.
Sturgeon said: 'It crossed my mind many times that it might have been Alex himself or someone acting on his behalf.
'To those with no experience of the dark arts of media manipulation, I know this will sound preposterous. However, in many ways it would have been classic Alex.
'I had known him to make these kinds of calculations in the past. If there is damaging information certain to emerge about you and there is nothing you can do to stop it, get it out in a way that gives you the best chance of controlling the narrative.'
The Scottish government initially defended the judicial review, before dropping its defence.
A separate police investigation resulted in a criminal trial in 2020 in which Salmond was cleared of all 14 charges, being found not guilty on 12 counts while prosecutors withdrew another charge and one was found not proven.
The next year Salmond, who had been Scottish first minister between 2007 and 2014 as leader of the SNP, founded the pro-independence Alba Party.
In her memoir, Sturgeon said Salmond had informed her that he was being investigated in April 2018 and initially appeared to be 'upset and mortified' before he 'became cold'.
Claiming he 'effectively admitted the substance of one of the complaints, but claimed that it had been a 'misunderstanding'', Sturgeon said it had been 'evident' that Salmond 'wanted me to intervene' to stop or divert the investigation.
She added that her refusal to do so turned him against her and 'made the break-up of one of the most successful partnerships in modern British politics all but inevitable'.
Sturgeon also accused Salmond of attempting to 'cast himself as the victim' and being 'prepared to traumatise, time and again, the women at the centre of it all'.
She said: 'A conspiracy against Alex would have needed a number of women deciding to concoct false allegations, without any obvious motive for doing so.
'It would then have required criminal collusion between them, senior ministers and civil servants, the police and the Crown.
'That is what he was alleging. The 'conspiracy' was a fabrication, the invention of a man who wasn't prepared to reflect honestly on his own conduct.'
She has also opened up about having a miscarriage, her sexuality and her arrest in her new book, Frankly, which will be published on Thursday.
, will be shown on ITV1, STV and ITVX on Monday, August 11 at 7pm.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Rhyl Journal
22 minutes ago
- Rhyl Journal
Man accused of faking death and fleeing US to avoid rape charges goes on trial
The man known in the US as Nicholas Rossi, whose legal name is Nicholas Alahverdian, is accused of sexually assaulting two women in Utah in 2008. Prosecutors are trying the cases separately, with the first set in Salt Lake County. Rossi, 38, was extradited from Scotland to the US in January 2024 after a lengthy case in the Scottish courts. He came to the attention of authorities when he was identified at Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow in December 2021 while being treated for Covid-19 under the name Arthur Knight. He was arrested after being identified by his distinctive tattoos as a person the US authorities wanted to extradite, but claimed this was a case of mistaken identity. Months of court proceedings in Edinburgh followed but in November 2022, Sheriff Norman McFadyen determined the man claiming to be Knight was indeed Rossi. An extradition hearing took place in June 2023, with Sheriff McFadyen ruling there was no barrier to Rossi's extradition. In his Scottish hearings, Rossi would appear in a wheelchair and sometimes with an oxygen mask. An extradition warrant was signed in September 2023 and Rossi was finally sent to the US in January 2024. Prosecutors in the US say they have identified at least a dozen aliases Rossi used over the years to evade capture. Rossi appeared in court on Monday in a wheelchair, wearing a suit and tie and using an oxygen tank. The alleged victim identified him from the witness box, saying he is 'a little bit heavier, a little bit older' but mostly looks the same. District Judge Barry Lawrence helped clarify for the jury some of the twists and turns of the case, explaining that different people may refer to Rossi by different names. The defence and prosecution agreed it is factual that Rossi was in Utah in 2008 and had a relationship with the alleged victim that year. Prosecutors painted a picture of an intelligent man who used his charm to take advantage of a vulnerable young woman. He raped her when she pushed back against his attempts to control her, deputy Salt Lake County district attorney Brandon Simmons alleged. The woman, who the judge asked not be identified publicly, described a whirlwind relationship with Rossi that began in November 2008 while she was recovering from a traumatic brain injury. The two began dating after she responded to a personal ad Rossi posted on Craigslist and were engaged within about two weeks. The woman described being asked to pay for their dates, cover Rossi's rent so he would not be evicted from his apartment and take on debt to buy their engagement rings. Then, the relationship spiralled quickly, with Rossi 'becoming controlling and saying mean things to me', she alleged. The couple got into a fight in which Rossi pounded on her car and used his body to block her from pulling out of the parking garage, she alleged. She finally let him inside and drove him home but said she had no plans of continuing a relationship. She agreed to go into his house to talk, but he instead pushed her on to his bed, held her down and 'forced me to have sex with him', she alleged. The woman described lying still, paralysed with fear. 'I was a little bit more of a timid person back then, and so it was harder for me to stand up for myself,' she said. Dismissive comments from her parents convinced her not to go to the police at the time, she said. She did, however, try to bring Rossi to small claims court over the engagement rings but dropped the case. Rossi's lawyers sought to convince the jury that the alleged victim built up years of resentment after Rossi made her foot the bill for everything in their month-long relationship, and accused him of rape to get back at him a decade later when she saw him in the news. Rossi will also stand trial in September over another rape charge in Utah County. Rossi grew up in foster homes in Rhode Island and had returned to the state before allegedly faking his death. An obituary published online claimed he died on February 29 2020 of late-stage non-Hodgkin lymphoma. State police, along with Rossi's former lawyer and a former foster family, cast doubt on whether he was dead. A year later, hospital staff in Scotland recognised his tattoos from an Interpol notice and alerted authorities. He was extradited to Utah in January 2024. 'This case is like an old puzzle from the thrift store,' said MacKenzie Potter, one of Rossi's lawyers. 'It's 13 years old, not all the pieces are there, some pieces are from a different puzzle. And when you start going through everything, you're not going to get a complete picture.' Prosecutors pushed back, saying that if any 'puzzle pieces' are missing, it is because Rossi's lawyers fought to have some evidence dismissed.
The Herald Scotland
31 minutes ago
- The Herald Scotland
Man accused of faking death and fleeing US to avoid rape charges goes on trial
Prosecutors are trying the cases separately, with the first set in Salt Lake County. Nicholas Rossi appeared in court in Salt Lake City in a wheelchair and wearing an oxygen supply (Firecrest Films via AP, Pool) Rossi, 38, was extradited from Scotland to the US in January 2024 after a lengthy case in the Scottish courts. He came to the attention of authorities when he was identified at Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow in December 2021 while being treated for Covid-19 under the name Arthur Knight. He was arrested after being identified by his distinctive tattoos as a person the US authorities wanted to extradite, but claimed this was a case of mistaken identity. Months of court proceedings in Edinburgh followed but in November 2022, Sheriff Norman McFadyen determined the man claiming to be Knight was indeed Rossi. An extradition hearing took place in June 2023, with Sheriff McFadyen ruling there was no barrier to Rossi's extradition. In his Scottish hearings, Rossi would appear in a wheelchair and sometimes with an oxygen mask. An extradition warrant was signed in September 2023 and Rossi was finally sent to the US in January 2024. Prosecutors in the US say they have identified at least a dozen aliases Rossi used over the years to evade capture. Rossi appeared in court on Monday in a wheelchair, wearing a suit and tie and using an oxygen tank. The alleged victim identified him from the witness box, saying he is 'a little bit heavier, a little bit older' but mostly looks the same. District Judge Barry Lawrence helped clarify for the jury some of the twists and turns of the case, explaining that different people may refer to Rossi by different names. The defence and prosecution agreed it is factual that Rossi was in Utah in 2008 and had a relationship with the alleged victim that year. Prosecutors painted a picture of an intelligent man who used his charm to take advantage of a vulnerable young woman. He raped her when she pushed back against his attempts to control her, deputy Salt Lake County district attorney Brandon Simmons alleged. The woman, who the judge asked not be identified publicly, described a whirlwind relationship with Rossi that began in November 2008 while she was recovering from a traumatic brain injury. The two began dating after she responded to a personal ad Rossi posted on Craigslist and were engaged within about two weeks. The woman described being asked to pay for their dates, cover Rossi's rent so he would not be evicted from his apartment and take on debt to buy their engagement rings. Then, the relationship spiralled quickly, with Rossi 'becoming controlling and saying mean things to me', she alleged. The couple got into a fight in which Rossi pounded on her car and used his body to block her from pulling out of the parking garage, she alleged. She finally let him inside and drove him home but said she had no plans of continuing a relationship. She agreed to go into his house to talk, but he instead pushed her on to his bed, held her down and 'forced me to have sex with him', she alleged. Nicholas Rossi departs Edinburgh Sheriff and Justice of the Peace Court after his extradition hearing (PA) The woman described lying still, paralysed with fear. 'I was a little bit more of a timid person back then, and so it was harder for me to stand up for myself,' she said. Dismissive comments from her parents convinced her not to go to the police at the time, she said. She did, however, try to bring Rossi to small claims court over the engagement rings but dropped the case. Rossi's lawyers sought to convince the jury that the alleged victim built up years of resentment after Rossi made her foot the bill for everything in their month-long relationship, and accused him of rape to get back at him a decade later when she saw him in the news. Rossi will also stand trial in September over another rape charge in Utah County. Rossi grew up in foster homes in Rhode Island and had returned to the state before allegedly faking his death. An obituary published online claimed he died on February 29 2020 of late-stage non-Hodgkin lymphoma. State police, along with Rossi's former lawyer and a former foster family, cast doubt on whether he was dead. A year later, hospital staff in Scotland recognised his tattoos from an Interpol notice and alerted authorities. He was extradited to Utah in January 2024. 'This case is like an old puzzle from the thrift store,' said MacKenzie Potter, one of Rossi's lawyers. 'It's 13 years old, not all the pieces are there, some pieces are from a different puzzle. And when you start going through everything, you're not going to get a complete picture.' Prosecutors pushed back, saying that if any 'puzzle pieces' are missing, it is because Rossi's lawyers fought to have some evidence dismissed.
Western Telegraph
34 minutes ago
- Western Telegraph
Man accused of faking death and fleeing US to avoid rape charges goes on trial
The man known in the US as Nicholas Rossi, whose legal name is Nicholas Alahverdian, is accused of sexually assaulting two women in Utah in 2008. Prosecutors are trying the cases separately, with the first set in Salt Lake County. Nicholas Rossi appeared in court in Salt Lake City in a wheelchair and wearing an oxygen supply (Firecrest Films via AP, Pool) Rossi, 38, was extradited from Scotland to the US in January 2024 after a lengthy case in the Scottish courts. He came to the attention of authorities when he was identified at Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow in December 2021 while being treated for Covid-19 under the name Arthur Knight. He was arrested after being identified by his distinctive tattoos as a person the US authorities wanted to extradite, but claimed this was a case of mistaken identity. Months of court proceedings in Edinburgh followed but in November 2022, Sheriff Norman McFadyen determined the man claiming to be Knight was indeed Rossi. An extradition hearing took place in June 2023, with Sheriff McFadyen ruling there was no barrier to Rossi's extradition. In his Scottish hearings, Rossi would appear in a wheelchair and sometimes with an oxygen mask. An extradition warrant was signed in September 2023 and Rossi was finally sent to the US in January 2024. Prosecutors in the US say they have identified at least a dozen aliases Rossi used over the years to evade capture. Rossi appeared in court on Monday in a wheelchair, wearing a suit and tie and using an oxygen tank. The alleged victim identified him from the witness box, saying he is 'a little bit heavier, a little bit older' but mostly looks the same. District Judge Barry Lawrence helped clarify for the jury some of the twists and turns of the case, explaining that different people may refer to Rossi by different names. The defence and prosecution agreed it is factual that Rossi was in Utah in 2008 and had a relationship with the alleged victim that year. Prosecutors painted a picture of an intelligent man who used his charm to take advantage of a vulnerable young woman. He raped her when she pushed back against his attempts to control her, deputy Salt Lake County district attorney Brandon Simmons alleged. The woman, who the judge asked not be identified publicly, described a whirlwind relationship with Rossi that began in November 2008 while she was recovering from a traumatic brain injury. The two began dating after she responded to a personal ad Rossi posted on Craigslist and were engaged within about two weeks. The woman described being asked to pay for their dates, cover Rossi's rent so he would not be evicted from his apartment and take on debt to buy their engagement rings. Then, the relationship spiralled quickly, with Rossi 'becoming controlling and saying mean things to me', she alleged. The couple got into a fight in which Rossi pounded on her car and used his body to block her from pulling out of the parking garage, she alleged. She finally let him inside and drove him home but said she had no plans of continuing a relationship. She agreed to go into his house to talk, but he instead pushed her on to his bed, held her down and 'forced me to have sex with him', she alleged. Nicholas Rossi departs Edinburgh Sheriff and Justice of the Peace Court after his extradition hearing (PA) The woman described lying still, paralysed with fear. 'I was a little bit more of a timid person back then, and so it was harder for me to stand up for myself,' she said. Dismissive comments from her parents convinced her not to go to the police at the time, she said. She did, however, try to bring Rossi to small claims court over the engagement rings but dropped the case. Rossi's lawyers sought to convince the jury that the alleged victim built up years of resentment after Rossi made her foot the bill for everything in their month-long relationship, and accused him of rape to get back at him a decade later when she saw him in the news. Rossi will also stand trial in September over another rape charge in Utah County. Rossi grew up in foster homes in Rhode Island and had returned to the state before allegedly faking his death. An obituary published online claimed he died on February 29 2020 of late-stage non-Hodgkin lymphoma. State police, along with Rossi's former lawyer and a former foster family, cast doubt on whether he was dead. A year later, hospital staff in Scotland recognised his tattoos from an Interpol notice and alerted authorities. He was extradited to Utah in January 2024. 'This case is like an old puzzle from the thrift store,' said MacKenzie Potter, one of Rossi's lawyers. 'It's 13 years old, not all the pieces are there, some pieces are from a different puzzle. And when you start going through everything, you're not going to get a complete picture.' Prosecutors pushed back, saying that if any 'puzzle pieces' are missing, it is because Rossi's lawyers fought to have some evidence dismissed.
