They money was spent concealing evidence found in a probe into Sturgeon. (Image: Getty)
The SNP government has reportedly spent nearly ￡75,000 of taxpayers' money to hide evidence gathered during an investigation into Nicola Sturgeon's conduct.
The legal costs for concealing documents detailing the former First Minister's behaviour during the Alex Salmond sexual misconduct probe have soared to ￡73,024, raising serious questions about transparency.
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These shocking revelations emerge as the Scottish Government attempted to block the release of the documents, claiming in response to a public freedom of information (FOI) request that it did not "hold" them.
However, in December, Ministers suffered a significant court defeat after they took legal action against the Scottish Information Commissioner, who had asserted they indeed possessed the documents.
The Mail on Sunday has revealed that this legal battle cost the public ￡73,024, including ￡27,470 to cover Commissioner David Hamilton's legal fees.
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Some of the documents pertained to Alex Salmond's sexual misconduct investigation. (Image: Getty)
Nationalist MSP Fergus Ewing demanded last night that First Minister John Swinney return to Holyrood and "come clean", urging him to 'reveal the evidence forthwith in order to end the disgraceful delays and costs'.
Ewing added: "If he does that, then no doubt he can try to prove that I am wrong and he is right and he has absolutely nothing to hide."
Conservative MSP Murdo Fraser described it as "scandalous that the SNP government wasted such a huge sum of taxpayers' cash on doing everything possible to prevent the public finding out the truth about its conduct".
Hamilton criticised the expenditure as "a wholly disproportionate amount of money to expend on a case where prospects were not strong".
Just last week, Swinney dismissed demands for a new investigation into whether Sturgeon violated the ministerial code during the Salmond inquiry.
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This came after the unveiling of fresh documents revealing that Ministers had disregarded legal counsel in an attempt to conceal an independent report into Sturgeon's behaviour and that they had provided Hamilton with incorrect information.
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Despite the conclusion that Sturgeon did not violate the ministerial code, it was found she had presented an 'incomplete narrative of events' to MSPs.
A Scottish Government spokesperson told the outlet: "The decision to comply with the Commissioner's decision and release the legal advice was taken after careful consideration and does not set any legal precedent. This was a complex point of FOI law."
Express.co.uk has contacted SNP for comment.