Police probe senior civil servant over Salmond inquiry

As the SNP conference weekend kicks off, another Scottish story is starting to take shape. It has emerged that detectives north of the border are now investigating allegations that a senior civil servant gave a false statement under oath to an inquiry into sexual misconduct allegations involving Alex Salmond. Edinburgh’s Court of Session was informed today that Police Scotland is now looking into the Scottish government’s head of cabinet, parliament and governance, James Hynd, as part of the investigation entitled Operation Broadcroft. Good heavens…

Ex-SNP leader Salmond is taking legal action agains the Scottish government – with the former FM alleging ‘malfeasance’ by civil servants and seeking ‘significant damages’. Salmond claims that Scottish civil servants ‘conducted themselves improperly, in bad faith and beyond their powers’, with this allegedly happening during an investigation by civil servants over claims that Salmond had acted inappropriately towards a number of women during his time in office. Salmond’s lawyer, Gordon Dangerfield, insists: ‘There’s a very, very specific case that in my submission is self-evident in these averments: that the head of cabinet — a very, very senior civil servant, Mr James Hynd — gave a false statement on oath at the inquiry.