First Minister in complaints lotto, asks ex Lord Advocate to investigate ministerial breach. SCOTLAND’S First Minister Alex Salmond has ‘referred himself to himself’ by asking a former Lord Advocate Dame Elish Angiolini DBE QC (born McPhilomy) who is known to have used while acting as Lord Advocate, a law firm who are connected to the Cayman Islands offshore tax dodge haven & which also represented shamed cocaine addict politicians who avoided criminal prosecutions, to investigate allegations the First Minister breached the ministerial code, with regards to meetings between the First Minister & SNP donors including lotto winners Chris & Colin Weir at Bute House, Mr Salmond’s official residence.
The former Lord Advocate, made a dame upon the recommendation of the Scottish Government and who was personally appointed as Ministerial complaints adviser to Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond, is expected to clear the First Minister upon completion of any report.
Scottish Law Reporter recently published an investigation into the knighthood of Angiolini, apparently recommended by the Scottish Government. Dame Elish Angiolini’s involvement in OPERATION PLANET, a Lothian & Borders Police investigation to catch judges, lawyers & other ‘professionals’ who were trading favours in court for sex, resulting in no substantive prosecutions, was recently featured in the media HERE. Dame Angiolini (McPhilomy) was also identified in the Hollie Greig scandal which led to the arrest, £1/2 Million pound prosecution & jailing of anti abuse campaigner Robert Green for attempting to hand out leaflets in Aberdeen in February 2010. More recently, Dame Elish Angiolini was also appointed to the post of Principal of St Hugh’s College, Oxford.
BBC News reports :
Alex Salmond asks to be investigated over ministerial code
The Scottish first minister has asked independent advisors to investigate whether he has breached the ministerial code.
It was claimed last week that Alex Salmond had entertained two SNP donors and their wives at Bute House, his official residence. He was also said to have invited EuroMillions winners Chris and Colin Weir to tea. A spokesman for Mr Salmond said he had "total confidence" he would be cleared.
Mr Salmond said he had written to Dame Elish Angiolini, one of the independent advisers to the ministerial code and a former Lord Advocate, asking her to investigate whether a breach had occurred.
SNP ministers are also refusing a request under the Freedom of Information Act to release correspondence between them and Sir Brian Souter, the Stagecoach tycoon who has given the party more than £1m. Government officials refused to release letters and emails to and from the bus tycoon, who was nominated for a knighthood shortly after making a donation to the SNP. The government first claimed it was exempt as it supposedly related to the Queen, then because it was too vague, and they have now rejected it a third time claiming it is "too wide-ranging".
On Sunday, Labour parliamentary business manager Paul Martin accused Mr Salmond of a "cover up", saying "the longer Alex Salmond desperately tries to keep these documents secret, the more people will think he has got something to hide".
But a spokesman for the first minister said Mr Salmond had taken the decision to refer himself to the advisers because he had "total confidence in our position, in light of this entirely spurious and absurd complaint from Labour". The spokesman added: "No private dining for donors takes place at Bute House, never has under this administration, and never will. Labour, the party of cash for honours and the Ecclestone affair, are guilty of the most appalling hypocrisy.
"Government functions are all in the public domain because, unlike the last Labour-led administration, we publish details of everyone receiving Bute House hospitality at a reception, lunch or dinner. "No-one has ever suggested prior to this that individuals should be excluded from government events simply because they are donors. This is a totally ridiculous proposition." He added that hospitality costs at Bute House were significantly less for the SNP administration than under the previous Labour/Lib Dem executive.
Mr Salmond has also written to Mr Martin telling him he has referred the issue to Dame Angiolini. Mr Martin said: "This is a welcome u-turn from the first minister who only days ago was claiming there was nothing worth investigating. There are serious and growing concerns about the first minister entertaining wealthy SNP donors on public property. Allegations of dinner for donors needs to be thoroughly investigated."
5 comments:
Birds of a feather...
I dont know how they do it in Scotland but if any DA or even the Attorney General used a law firm representing hoods cocaine dealers etc they would be out of a job!
I understand the students have smelt the wind and had the good sense to demonstrate AGAINST Ms. Angiolini's appointment.
Still she can always rely on the SNP to provide a cosy berth - doubtless she knows too many secrets to ever be out of favour in Edinburgh.
How can it be possible for someone (Angiolini) to be asked to adjudicate on standards when she is currently undergoing a police investigation herself for being a criminal due to her involvement in the Holly Greig scandal and potentially inappropriately using Public money for her personal agenda?
What a cosy little racket you have in Scotland, all courtesy of no independent or meaningful regulation.
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