Alex Salmond under fire over Sturgeon case

FIRST Minister Alex Salmond has been accused of distorting the MSPs’ code of conduct in defending his deputy.

Opposition parties kept the pressure on Nicola Sturgeon after she asked a sheriff to show convicted fraudster Abdul Rauf leniency.

It has now been revealed MSPs will have to wait nearly a fortnight for her to make a statement on the issue.

After rowdy exchanges at First Minister’s questions, party whips agreed Ms Sturgeon would make a statement on the first Wednesday after parliament returns from recess.

She is under pressure to resign for asking a sheriff to consider an alternative jail when sentencing Rauf.

Rauf, 60, has admitted illegally claiming £80,000 in benefits, and has had his sentence deferred for three months.

In 1996, Rauf was jailed for three years for a £58,000 benefits fiddle which involved forging signatures on 779 DSS payment orders when he was an Edinburgh sub-postmaster.

Mr Salmond gave his “110% support” to Ms Sturgeon, who he said had followed the “rules and obligations” for MSPs.

Labour leader Iain Gray called on MSPs to raise their hands if they would have written a letter on behalf of Rauf.

When none did he said: “The First Minister and his deputy seem to be on their own on this one.”

Tory leader Annabel Goldie said MSPs had discretion over whether to get involved in a constituent’s case.

“Does the First Minister genuinely believe that serial fraud, two convictions and 779 faked signatures can all be dismissed as a mistake?” she said.