The estate of former first minister Alex Salmond is seeking sequestration – the Scottish legal equivalent of bankruptcy – due to costs linked to court action.
Salmond won a judicial review against the Scottish government over the handling of two harassment complaints against him by civil servants which were ruled to be “tainted with apparent bias”. He was awarded £512,000 in costs.
His former lawyers, Levy and McRae, are now acting for his wife, Moira, in winding up his estate.
Senior partner David McKie said “exposing the unlawful conduct of the Scottish government” had been “a matter of great satisfaction” for Salmond and his wife, but that success came “at a huge cost” personally and financially.
Mr McKie said the step of appointing a trustee in sequestration on behalf of Salmond’s widow was “very unfortunate” but necessary “to protect her interests and those of creditors”.
He said: “It is a matter of profound regret that Alex had to invest so much time and money in clearing his name.
“But most people will understand that faced with such attacks and an unlawful process brought against him, there was no choice for Alex but to defend himself with every resource available to him.
“This matter will now rightly be passed to the Accountant in Bankruptcy and, if appointed, the new Trustees in Sequestration.”
Salmond died in October 2024 at the age of 69 after suffering a heart attack while attending an event in North Macedonia.