The week of fire began in the best way possible for Nicola Sturgeon: the Scottish premier was exonerated from accusations of having violated the ministerial code of conduct and will be able to face the vote of confidence in Parliament with a light heart.
The conclusions of the independent investigation
The independent investigation conducted by Judge James Hamilton, the former Irish Chief Prosecutor, concluded that Sturgeon did not give misleading information to the Holyrood Parliament and “did not break the rules of the ministerial code in any way”. The rules state that anyone who violates the code must resign.
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No misleading reports to Parliament
The premier was accused of giving a misleading account to Parliament about when she was informed of the sexual harassment allegations against Alex Salmond, her predecessor at the helm of the Scottish National Party (SNP) and the Scottish government. Sturgeon allegedly downplayed how much she actually knew about the storm that was about to hit her political mentor in 2018.
Hamilton’s 61-page report, who was commissioned to shed light on the intricate affair in 2019, admits that “the narrative of events given by the premier to Parliament was incomplete,” but only because he did not remember some details.
“These conclusions are official, definitive and independent – Sturgeon said yesterday after the verdict -. I have always tried to act with integrity and in the public interest ».