ALEX Salmond’s legal action against the Scottish Government over allegations of sexual misconduct will not be heard until next year.
The Court of Session confirmed a substantive hearing had been set down for four days starting on January 15.
There is also a procedural hearing on November 6 to ascertain if both sides are ready to proceed to a full hearing.
Mr Salmond’s substantive hearing is scheduled to take place in the same week that his business partner Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh faces a disciplinary case related to her former career as a lawyer.
Ms Ahmed-Sheikh, who was an SNP MP from 2015 to 2017 and is now Mr Salmond’s partner is his weekly Kremlin-TV show, is accused of professional misconduct related to her time working for the now defunct law firm Hamilton Burns.
Her five-day hearing is due to begin in Perth on January 14.
Two female civil servants made allegations of sexual misconduct against Mr Salmond in January this year relating to his time as First Minister in 2013, promoting an investigation.
Overseen by the Scottish Government’s top official, permanent secretary Leslie Evans, the inquiry concluded in August, resulting in material being referred to Police Scotland.
Ms Evans had been about to make a public statement on the matter, but Mr Salmond took legal action, only for details to emerge in the media regardless.
Backed by a £100,000 crowd-funded appeal, he is now seeking a judicial review of the way the government handled the inquiry, claiming he was denied a fair chance to put his side.
He denies sexual harassment or criminality.
It was reported this weekend that the SNP had received fresh complaints against Mr Salmond, although he is no longer a party member.
It was also reported Mr Salmond had apologised to a woman in 2013 for a “misunderstanding”, despite the Scottish Government insisting it had no record of it.
It is understood one of the complaints made in January related to this ‘misunderstanding’, which was dealt with under an informal process and resulted in no action.
Mr Salmond’s team is expected to argue at the Court of Session that this complaint had already been settled.
Since the controversy began, Nicola Sturgeon has been pressed by opposition parties about what she knew and when of her predecessor’s alleged misconduct.
On Sunday, the Scottish Government issued a statement saying she had not been aware until April that “any complaints or concerns had been raised about Mr Salmond”.
Labour is now demanding a Holyrood statement, saying the fresh information raised “serious questions about how clear and honest the SNP government has been to date”.
On Monday, Ms Sturgeon fled from the press at the very mention of Mr Salmond’s name.
The First Minister rushed away from the media when a reporter said the words “On Alex Salmond…” without bothering to hear the rest of the sentence.
After addressing a Scottish Tourism Alliance event in Edinburgh, she gave interviews to TV and radio broadcasters, then said “I’ve not got time just now” when approached by the press.
Asked what was wrong with the printed media, she relented and said: “You have to ask one question.”
But when a reporter began “On Alex Salmond...” the First Minister instantly cut her off.
“Right,” she said. “You saw the statement yesterday, I can’t say any more than that.”
The First Minister and her entourage then sped off through a fire door and out of sight.
The First Minister’s spokesperson said: “In light of the pending Court of Session case and continuing police enquiries, it is simply not possible for the Scottish Government to make further information available at this time.
“As soon as it is able, the Scottish Government will make available as much information as it can, whilst respecting the privacy of those involved.
“And at that time the First Minister will be more than willing to address these issues in Parliament. However for legal reasons it is not possible to do so at present.
“To seek to play politics on issues that demand proper due process risks doing a disservice to those who have raised complaints.”
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