Sturgeon 'misled Scottish parliament' over Salmond inquiry, committee finds
March 19, 2021, 12:16 pm

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

The report stopped short of saying the first minister misled MSPs ‘knowingly’.

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 James Hamilton and I hope and expect he will publish that report soon.”

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

Levant

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BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) at the company’s headquarters in the Seef District.
During the meeting, shareholders approved all items listed on the agenda, including the ratification of the minutes of the previous AGM held on 26 March 2024. The session reviewed and approved the Board’s Annual Report on the company’s activities and financial performance for the fiscal year ended 31 December 2024, and the shareholders expressed their satisfaction with the company’s operational and financial results during the reporting period.
The meeting also reviewed the Independent External Auditor’s Report on the company’s consolidated financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2024. Subsequently, the shareholders approved the audited financial statements for the fiscal year. Based on the Board’s recommendation, the shareholders approved the distribution of a cash dividend equivalent to 10% of the paid-up share capital.
Furthermore, the shareholders endorsed the allocation of a total amount of BD 172,500 as remuneration to the members of the Board for the year ended 31 December 2024, subject to prior clearance by related authorities.
The extension of the current composition of the Board was approved, which includes ten members and one CBB observer, for a further six-month term, expiring in September 2025, pending no objection from the CBB.
The meeting reviewed and approved the Corporate Governance Report for 2024, which affirmed the company’s full compliance with the corporate governance directives issued by the CBB and other applicable regulatory frameworks. The AGM absolved the Board Members of liability for any of their actions during the year ending on 31st December 2024, in accordance with the Commercial Companies Law.
In alignment with regulatory requirements, the session approved the reappointment of Ernst & Young (EY) as the company’s External Auditors for the fiscal year 2025, covering both the parent company and its subsidiaries—Sinnad and Bahrain FinTech Bay. The Board was authorised to determine the external auditors’ professional fees, subject to approval from the CBB, and the meeting concluded with a discussion of any additional issues as per Article (207) of the Commercial Companies Law.
Speaking on the company’s performance, Mr. Mohamed Al Bastaki, Chairman BENEFIT , stated: “In terms of the financial results for 2024, I am pleased to say that the year gone by has also been proved to be a success in delivering tangible results. Growth rate for 2024 was 19 per cent. Revenue for the year was BD 17 M (US$ 45.3 Million) and net profit was 2 Million ($ 5.3 Million).

Mr. Al Bastaki also announced that the Board had formally adopted a new three-year strategic roadmap to commence in 2025. The strategy encompasses a phased international expansion, optimisation of internal operations, enhanced revenue diversification, long-term sustainability initiatives, and the advancement of innovation and digital transformation initiatives across all service lines.
“I extend my sincere appreciation to the CBB for its continued support of BENEFIT and its pivotal role in fostering a stable and progressive regulatory environment for the Kingdom’s banking and financial sector—an environment that has significantly reinforced Bahrain’s standing as a leading financial hub in the region,” said Mr. Al Bastaki. “I would also like to thank our partner banks and valued customers for their trust, and our shareholders for their ongoing encouragement. The achievements of 2024 set a strong precedent, and I am confident they will serve as a foundation for yet another successful and impactful year ahead.”
Chief Executive of BENEFIT; Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi commented, “The year 2024 represented another pivotal chapter in BENEFIT ’s evolution. We achieved substantial progress in advancing our digital strategy across multiple sectors, while reinforcing our long-term commitment to the development of Bahrain’s financial services and payments landscape. Throughout the year, we remained firmly aligned with our objective of delivering measurable value to our shareholders, strategic partners, and customers. At the same time, we continued to play an active role in enabling Bahrain’s digital economy by introducing innovative solutions and service enhancements that directly address market needs and future opportunities.”
Mr. AlJanahi affirmed that BENEFIT has successfully developed a robust and well-integrated payment network that connects individuals and businesses across Bahrain, accelerating the adoption of emerging technologies in the banking and financial services sector and reinforcing Bahrain’s position as a growing fintech hub, and added, “Our achievements of the past year reflect a long-term vision to establish a resilient electronic payment infrastructure that supports the Kingdom’s digital economy. Key developments in 2024 included the implementation of central authentication for open banking via BENEFIT Pay”
Mr. AlJanahi concluded by thanking the Board for its strategic direction, the company’s staff for their continued dedication, and the Central Bank of Bahrain, member banks, and shareholders for their valuable partnership and confidence in the company’s long-term vision.