SCOTLAND'S top civil servant should "consider her position" over the Alex Salmond saga, Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar has said.
Mr Sarwar said a cross-party Holyrood inquiry unanimously found Permanent Secretary Leslie Evans was responsible for failures.
Mr Salmond is now suing the Scottish Government over the conduct of Ms Evans.
READ MORE: Alex Salmond announces legal action over conduct of Scotland's top civil servant
The former first minister has accused her of refusing to accept "real responsibility" for the botched handling of the probe into harassment complaints made against him.
Speaking on the first day of campaigning ahead of the Holyrood election in May, Mr Sarwar said he did not want to comment on Mr Salmond's legal case.
But he added: "The cross-party committee report, which sadly, for political ends, people have tried to ridicule, actually was unanimous in its views on the failures of government and the failures of the Permanent Secretary.
"I think it is not credible for us to have gone through all of that situation and for no one to have taken responsibility.
"So I think there are still huge questions for the Permanent Secretary Leslie Evans."
He added: "I think she has some serious thinking to do and should be considering her position."
Mr Sarwar was asked about the issue during a virtual Q&A session with journalists.
Two inquiries published their findings in recent days, with Irish lawyer James Hamilton ruling that Nicola Sturgeon did not breach the ministerial code over the Salmond saga, while a separate, cross-party Holyrood committee found the First Minister misled Parliament.
The committee also found the Scottish Government was responsible for multiple, serious flaws in its handling of harassment complaints made against Mr Salmond.
In a damning 192-page report, it condemned the Government's "prolonged, expensive and unsuccessful" defence of Mr Salmond's subsequent judicial review, and insisted those responsible should be held accountable.
It singled Ms Evans out for strong criticism, insisting there was an "individual failing" on her part.
The committee was looking at how the Scottish Government bungled its probe into sexual misconduct allegations made against Mr Salmond in 2018.
READ MORE: Tom Gordon: No lazy hatchet job, this report is a devastating catalogue of errors
The former first minister had the exercise set aside in a judicial review after the Government conceded it had been "tainted by apparent bias" because of prior contact between investigating officer Judith Mackinnon and two of the women who made complaints.
Mr Salmond was awarded a maximum payout of £512,250.
Last night, a Scottish Government spokesman said: “The Scottish Government has been clear that it will reflect carefully on the reports published in recent days and that lessons will be learned.
"The First Minister retains her confidence in the Permanent Secretary, who has operated at all times in line with the Civil Service Code and legal advice received."
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