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Photo: ANDY BUCHANAN / AFP
Shortly before the regional elections in Scotland, Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon comes under increasing pressure.
She is said to have tried to have "deceived" the Scottish Parliament about abuse allegations against her former party colleague Alex Salmond.
Salmond was head of the Scottish regional government before Sturgeon.
After the end of his tenure, he was charged with sexual assault against several women - including attempted rape.
Salmond denied the allegations and also resisted the Scottish government's investigation of the case.
Sturgeon called on the police at the beginning of the affair after an internal investigation.
In 2019, Salmond resigned from the Scottish National Party (SNP), Sturgeon's party, in protest.
In March 2020, a court acquitted him of the allegations.
Now a committee of inquiry into the affair wants to clarify the abuse allegations, when exactly Sturgeon found out about the allegations against her former mentor.
According to the reports, the committee now finds in its report that Sturgeon has provided contradicting information about a meeting and "deceived" Parliament.
"Scexit" unclear
She herself dismissed the allegations before the committee.
You always followed the evidence and truthfully passed it on, said a spokesman after the committee report became known.
The report comes at an inopportune time for Sturgeon: The regional elections in Scotland are due to take place in May and the SNP is expected to win.
Sturgeon linked the election with a call for another independence referendum in Scotland.
Sturgeon wants Scotland to rejoin the European Union after a new referendum and exit from the United Kingdom.
However, it is now uncertain whether the majority of Scottish people are behind a »Scexit«.
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mrc / AFP / Reuters