NICOLA Sturgeon’s chief of staff recorded an exercise “boot camp” in her business diary on the same day she failed to make any note of a controversial meeting between the First Minister and her predecessor Alex Salmond.
Official logs show Liz Lloyd enjoyed an early morning fitness class on April 2, while a work catch-up meeting scheduled for later that afternoon was cancelled.
But the diary, released under Freedom of Information, makes no mention of a meeting between Mr Salmond and Ms Sturgeon at the latter’s house in Glasgow that same day, despite Ms Lloyd also being present.
It was during this meeting that Mr Salmond first told his successor he was being investigated by the Scottish Government amid allegations of sexual harassment.
A spokesman for the Scottish Tories said: “People will certainly have questions to ask about the diary of a senior taxpayer-funded Scottish Government employee.
“The SNP Government does not have to wait for the Holyrood investigation, and could clarify exactly what this member of staff was doing on these days, and why.”
Entries in Ms Lloyd’s business diary covering the dates of phone calls and meetings between Ms Sturgeon and Mr Salmond were released following an FoI request.
It comes amid intense scrutiny of the contacts, during which Mr Salmond brought up a Government investigation into sexual harassment allegations against him.
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The meetings are set to be probed by MSPs after questions were raised over Ms Sturgeon’s involvement and her initial decision not to report the contact. She insists it was not government business.
It previously emerged Ms Lloyd helped set up the meeting on April 2. However, her business diary shows no record of it – but takes time to log a fitness “boot camp” at 6.30am.
Mr Salmond appeared in court last month charged with two attempted rapes, nine sexual assaults, two indecent assaults and one breach of the peace. He strongly denies any criminality.
A Scottish Government spokeswoman said Ms Sturgeon had set out her position, and it would not be appropriate to comment further.
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