Ex-Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond has vowed to defend himself in court, denied all allegations of criminality.
"The only thing I can say is I refute absolutely these allegations of criminality", Salmond said outside of a court, as aired on BBC broadcaster.
Earlier, Scottish police confirmed that former first minister of Scotland, Alex Salmond, had been arrested and charged in a sexual harassment probe.
The news comes less than a month after the former first minister won a crucial legal battle against the devolved government in Scotland. On 8 January, the Court of Session in the Scottish capital of Edinburgh ruled that Scottish government ministers should pay the costs incurred.
Police Scotland on Alex #Salmond: “We can confirm a 64 year-old man has been arrested and charged and a report has been sent to the procurator fiscal. Proceedings are now live under the contempt of court act” @SkyNews
— James Matthews (@jamesmatthewsky) January 24, 2019
According to the Scottish government, two complaints were officially made against Salmond, but the identities of the claimants have remained confidential. At least one of the alleged harassment incidents took place as early as in December 2013, media outlets reported
READ MORE: Alex Salmond Wins the First Skirmish in the Political Witch-Hunt Against Him
Alex Salmond, who has strongly denied any sexual harassment, announced his resignation from the Scottish National Party in August in order to preserve the unity of the party and blunt opposition criticism. Salmond, 64, led the Scottish National Party (SNP) from 2004 – 2014 and served as the first minister of Scotland from 2007 – 2014.