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Ministers Ordered to Publish Nicola Sturgeon Inquiry Evidence
The Commissioner found the Scottish Government wrongly withheld evidence, citing procedural failures and public interest in disclosure, and ordered release by Jan 12, 2026.
- On November 27, 2025, Scottish Information Commissioner David Hamilton ordered the Scottish Government to disclose wrongly withheld written evidence from the Nicola Sturgeon inquiry and issue a revised response by January 12, 2026, as recorded in Decision 279/2025.
- An FOI request sought all written evidence from the James Hamilton KC inquiry after he cleared Nicola Sturgeon, but the Scottish Government initially denied holding the records before the Court of Session ordered a response.
- Reviewing redactions and exemptions, Scottish Information Commissioner David Hamilton found the Scottish Government misapplied exemptions and court-ordered redactions made accurate reporting impossible, while also identifying withheld documents covered by an Information Notice and ordering their release.
- Mr Hamilton urged ministers to take urgent action after Independent MSP Fergus Ewing called on First Minister John Swinney to publish all documents, while Scottish Conservative MSP Murdo Fraser criticized government secrecy and the Scottish Government said it is considering the decision.
- Under FOI law, the public interest favoured disclosure in some cases, and Scottish Information Commissioner David Hamilton found disclosure would not harm the Scottish Government's future investigations; while finding no impropriety, he warned future non-compliance may be referred to the Court of Session.
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12 Articles
12 Articles
Coverage Details
Total News Sources12
Leaning Left6Leaning Right1Center4Last UpdatedBias Distribution55% Left
Bias Distribution
- 55% of the sources lean Left
55% Left
L 55%
C 36%
Factuality
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