Two female civil servants who made harassment complaints against Alex Salmond have accused the Scottish government of failing to support them after the judicial review it lost to the former first minister. The women, identified only as Ms A and Ms B, told a Holyrood inquiry that they were 'basically just dropped' once the legal challenge ended.
They said they received regular updates during the judicial review but had 'next to no contact' from the government during the police investigation and criminal trial that followed. One woman said she was 'quite taken aback' as she had expected support given the government's duty of care.
The pair criticised the politicisation of the affair, saying it made it less likely other women would come forward in the future. They described the 'directed abuse and misrepresentation' on social media as 'completely crushing' and called for a moratorium on party politics when handling such cases.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has apologised to the women, admitting they were 'let down by the mistakes the government made'. The government was forced to pay Mr Salmond's legal fees of more than £500,000 after the judicial review found its investigation unlawful.
The women told the committee they were 'alarmed' by how many people in government knew their identities, and denied being directed by anyone to make statements to police. The Holyrood inquiry concluded the government's actions were 'seriously flawed', while Ms Sturgeon was cleared of breaching the ministerial code.
