Thousands of pages of information linked to a probe into whether Nicola Sturgeon breached the ministerial code have been released by the Scottish Government.
Labour said the release of the documents – which comes after a court case brought by Scotland’s Information Commissioner – is a “win for transparency”.
But the party’s Scottish deputy leader, Dame Jackie Baillie, added it is “shameful that the SNP Government had to be dragged to this point kicking and screaming”.
She was speaking as the Scottish Government released 18 bundles of papers linked to an investigation carried out by James Hamilton KC.
In 2021, he cleared the then first minister of any breach of the code relating to her involvement in the Scottish Government’s botched investigation into harassment allegations against Alex Salmond.
In the wake of the Hamilton report, a request was made for documents to be made public under freedom of information laws – with Information Commissioner David Hamilton taking legal action against the Scottish Government in January this year after it missed a deadline for publishing the papers.
More than 4,700 pages of information – some of which are redacted – have now been published on the Scottish Government’s website.
The papers show Mr Salmond, who died in October 2024, complained to Mr Hamilton KC about the remit of his investigation – which was set down by then deputy first minister John Swinney.
In an email to Mr Hamilton, former first minister Mr Salmond said the remit “lays a surprising stress” on whether Ms Sturgeon “interfered in the Scottish Government investigation”.
He added: “It might even be suspected that this remit has been set up as a straw man to knock down.
“There is no general bar on ministers intervening in a civil service process of which I am aware and indeed there are occasions when ministers are actually required by the code to intervene to correct civil service behaviour.”
As the papers were published, a Scottish Government spokesperson said: “Extensive work has taken place to review these documents and ensure that as much information as possible can be placed in the public domain.”
With a separate court case also brought against Mr Salmond – who was cleared of sexually assaulting nine women while he was Scotland’s first minister – the spokesperson added: “The courts have made it clear that those who complained in relation to allegations of sexual assault must have their identities protected.
“The Scottish Government is not permitted to release information which would breach those court orders and amount to a contempt of court.”
The Tories and Labour said the Scottish Government had fought to prevent the information entering into the public domain.
Dame Jackie said “John Swinney and the SNP have fought this every step of the way, spending eyewatering amounts of taxpayer money in court trying to bury these documents.
“The truth is this debacle is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the rotten culture of secrecy and cover-up at the heart of this SNP Government.
“We see the same pattern time and time again – secrecy over transparency, cover-up over truth, and arrogance over openness.”
Scottish Conservative MSP Murdo Fraser said: “The SNP should not have had to be dragged kicking and screaming into finally agreeing to release these documents.
“This whole episode has smacked of nationalist secrecy from the start. They have been at pains to try and protect the reputation of Nicola Sturgeon throughout this and have shamefully and repeatedly ignored deadlines from the Information Commissioner to publish these files.”
Mr Fraser added that the “huge redactions in what has belatedly been published will make Scots wonder what on Earth the SNP are still trying to hide about the conduct of Nicola Sturgeon”.
