STEPHEN House could retire from Police Scotland on a full pension while a complaint against him by a former chief officer remains unresolved.

The Scottish Police Authority (SPA) is examining claims by former assistant chief constable Angela Wilson that Wayne Mawson’s appointment as one of House’s top lieutenants was unfair.

However, House will not have to co-operate with any probe after his retirement in December.

Wilson, who was an ACC at the old Tayside Police, retired early from the single force over concerns about the way the organisation was being run.

In a blistering exit interview, she criticised House’s management style: “He has a saying that everybody knows, ‘You’re either on his bus or you’re under it’.

“What’s happened is anybody who’s not been 100% on that bus has found themselves marginalised and in many cases they’ve been encouraged to leave the force.”

A run of scandals - including stop and search, armed policing and rogue officers spying on journalists – resulted in House bringing forward his own departure date.

However, Wilson tabled a complaint about House to the force in May, which was forwarded to the SPA.

She alleged that the appointment of Mawson as an ACC in 2013 – who, like House, came from the Metropolitan police - did not comply with procedures.

House was one member of a Scottish Police Authority panel that interviewed the ACC candidates, but Wilson’s complaint focuses on the chief constable.

Under the job specification, it was “essential” for ACC candidates to have passed a “relevant” Strategic Command Course (SCC) – which for most officers means attending a high-pressure course in Sunningdale.

Mawson was made ACC for local policing west without passing the SCC, but was allowed to sit the course around two years later.

It is understood the SPA is still assessing Wilson’s complaint.

The Mawson saga took another twist recently when it emerged that he is under investigation for allegedly cheating to pass the SCC in the spring.

An anonymous tip off to the force’s Counter Corruption Unit claimed Mawson had passed off a junior colleague’s work as his own on the elite course.

The allegation was referred to the SPA by force deputy chief constable Neil Richardson.

However, the Wilson complaint again raises the general issue of police officers retiring or leaving the force in the middle of a complaint process.

An SPA spokesperson said: “The SPA is committed to investigating all complaints it receives thoroughly and in line with our complaint processes. In the case where a member of staff or an officer subject to a complaint was to leave the organisation, this would not prevent a complaint being progressed to ensure any potential learning points are captured and addressed.”

Police Scotland and House declined to comment.