Reuters :
Scotland’s former first minister Alex Salmond accused the nation’s government on Friday of acting illegally in dealing with a case against him in a row that threatens to damage the Scottish independence movement.
The feud between Salmond and his successor Nicola Sturgeon, has reached fever pitch in recent weeks, pitting the former friends against each other in a sparring match that could eventually put pressure on her to resign.
Sturgeon has denied his accusations.
She and her bid for a second independence referendum have been riding high in the opinion polls, with many praising her handling of Scotland’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. But since then, the polls have shown support falling back, although a majority still back a second referendum.
Salmond, who was cleared of committing multiple sex offences against nine women last year, said the handling of his case by the Scottish government had shown a failure of leadership, accusing the judiciary of being too close to the minister.
“The government acted illegally, but somehow nobody’s to blame,” Salmond told an inquiry.
“Collectively these events shine a light on a government whose actions are no longer true to the principles of openness, accountability and transparency, which are the core principles on which this Scottish parliament was founded.”
