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Sturgeon 'misled Scottish parliament' over Salmond inquiry, committee finds

Committee ruled by five votes to four that first minister’s account of meetings with Salmond was ‘incorrect’Nicola Sturgeon misled the Scottish parliament over the Alex Salmond crisis, a Holyrood inquiry has concluded after a narrow majority vote, it is understood.
A special Holyrood committee ruled, by five votes to four, that Scotland’s first minister gave an “inaccurate” account of her meetings with Salmond in 2018 during evidence on oath to MSPs earlier this month.
That remarkable conclusion amounts to an accusation Sturgeon misled parliament – but the committee has stopped short of ruling she did so “knowingly”. Knowingly misleading parliament would be a clear breach of the ministerial code and a resignation matter.
While MSPs did not accuse Sturgeon of deliberately misleading the committee, its finding will significantly increase pressure on her and the Scottish National party, only seven weeks before May’s Holyrood elections.
Sturgeon told Sky News on Thursday evening she stood by all her evidence to the committee. “What has been clear is that opposition members of this committee made their minds up before I uttered a single word of evidence. Their public comments have made that clear,” she said.
“So this very partisan leak tonight before they’ve actually finalised the report is not that surprising.
“Let’s wait and see the final report, but more important the question of whether or not I breached the ministerial code is being considered independently by
The Scottish Conservatives are preparing a no confidence motion against Sturgeon at Holyrood. Douglas Ross, the Scottish Tory leader, said the party would wait to see the final report, which is expected on Tuesday, but added it already believed she had misled Holyrood and, as a result, she should quit.
“We have called out the first minister based on the overwhelming evidence that she misled parliament,” he said. “We will continue to hold her to the same standards as previous first ministers of Scotland and demand that she resigns.”
In a vote that split the committee, it found the first minister’s evidence about what she said to Salmond, her predecessor as SNP leader, when they met at her home in April 2018 to discuss the confidential government inquiry into sexual harassment claims against him was incorrect.Sturgeon gave them “an inaccurate account of what happened and she has misled the committee on this matter,” the report is expected to say. “This is a potential breach of the ministerial code.”
The report is expected to be published on Tuesday, the day before Holyrood is dissolved for the May election campaign, after its nine MSPs held a series of meetings on Thursday to finalise its conclusions.
It is thought the critical five-four vote, late on Thursday afternoon, saw MSPs dividing on party lines. The four SNP members, including committee chair Linda Fabiani, a former SNP minister and currently Holyrood’s deputy presiding officer, voted against the finding Sturgeon misled the committee. The five opposition MSPs, two Tories, a Labour, Liberal Democrat and independent MSP, voted in favour of that finding.
Sturgeon’s spokesperson said the question of whether she broke the ministerial code was being investigated separately by Hamilton. In a criticism of the committee, he said Hamilton was doing so “independently” and his report was expected to be received and published soon.
Anas Sarwar, the Scottish Labour leader, said he would not prejudge the final report’s conclusions but said: “If it does conclude that the first minister has misled parliament and potentially breached the ministerial code then that is incredibly serious.
“This is about the integrity of our Scottish parliament and upholding standards in public life. The separate Hamilton inquiry has yet to report, and all parties must be given due process, however the code which the first minister has promised to follow by the letter is clear – any minister who is found in breach of the ministerial code has a duty to resign.”
The inquiry was set up after Salmond won a legal challenge to the Scottish government in January 2019 over its internal inquiry into sexual harassment complaints from two female civil servants.
The government accepted the inquiry was “tainted by apparent bias” and unlawful because it had appointed a personnel official to lead the investigation even though she had had prior contact with the complainants. Salmond was later awarded £512,000 in legal costs; the court ruled such a large amount was justified because the government had taken months to disclose evidence to the court about that contact.
In March 2020, Salmond was acquitted of 13 charges of sexual assault including one of attempted rape, by a high court jury in Edinburgh. Those charges included the alleged assault of the two officials whose cases were at the centre of the botched government inquiry.
When she gave evidence to the Holyrood inquiry on 3 March, Sturgeon admitted the government had made a “dreadful, catastrophic” mistake by failing to see that appointment was a potentially unlawful conflict of interest. “Two women were failed and taxpayers’ money was lost,” she said. “I deeply regret that.”
source: Severin Carrell
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Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”
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