A “culture of secrecy” in the SNP Government should be probed by Scotland’s new top civil servant, Labour leader Anas Sarwar claims.
He wrote to the government alleging cover-ups and scandals, which Nicola Sturgeon branded “pretty desperate”.
Mr Sarwar highlighted a failure to provide evidence of decisions made in the over-budget, delayed ferry project at Ferguson Marine.
He also accused the government of withholding information in the pandemic and dodging questions at Holyrood inquiries.
‘Corrosive’
“There is a corrosive culture of secrecy at the heart of the SNP government, which is risking the principles of transparency and accountability at the heart of our democracy”, Mr Sarwar said.
“The ferry scandal and the SNP’s shameless attempts to dodge scrutiny and supress criticism have laid bare a pattern of behaviour that has run through their government for years.”
In his letter to new permanent secretary John-Paul Marks, Mr Sarwar urged him to improve transparency, accountability and public administration.
Mr Marks began his role as the Scottish Government’s permanent secretary at the start of the year, replacing Leslie Evans.
Ms Evans left at the end of a turbulent time which saw her appear in front of a Holyrood probe on the way harassment complaints about former first minister Alex Salmond were handled.
In Aberdeen on Monday, Ms Sturgeon said: “There is no culture of secrecy.
“There is an approach to everything in the Scottish Government that prioritises transparency.
“I think it’s pretty desperate for Anas Sarwar to be harking back to an inquiry that concluded a year ago and perhaps that tells us all we need to know about just how little evidence there is for the accusations he’s making.”