THE WOMAN AT THE TOP WHO WAS CONTENT TO SHUN THE SPOTLIGHT
AS a civil servant, Leslie Evans has spent much of her career avoiding the limelight. But in 2018 she was cast into the eye of one of the biggest political storms Scotland would ever see.
Now, she has been forced to publicly defend her role in the botched investigation into accusations made against former First Minister Alex Salmond, which culminated in the Scottish Government being humiliated at the High Court and forced to pay his legal fees.
And amid claims of ‘evasiveness’ in cooperating with a formal inquiry into the fallout from the investigation, she is facing calls from some to resign her post.
Mrs Evans’ rise to one of Britain’s most senior civil service posts was a quiet one, made via work in local government in England and Scotland.
Hired as director general for learning and justice in 2000, it took her less than 20 years in the civil service to become the first woman appointed Permanent Secretary, in charge of 6,500 civil servants in Scotland and across the world.
She worked closely with Nicola Sturgeon following the 2016 referendum result which confirmed the UK would leave the EU, and she sits in on Scottish Government cabinet meetings.
But despite that close contact with Miss Sturgeon on issues such as Brexit and Covid-19, the Permanent Secretary, bound by strict rules surrounding political impartiality, remains a largely anonymous figure with a low public profile.
HOWEVER, her involvement with the investigation into allegations against Alex Salmond and the growing secrecy row with a Holyrood committee has thrust the 60-yearold mother of one into the limelight.
In 2018, it emerged that two formal complaints had been made to the Scottish Government regarding the former First Minister.
The two women accused Mr Salmond of harassment.
It was revealed Mr Salmond had complained directly to Mrs Evans over the handling of the complaints process – with claims the procedure was ‘unjust’ and ‘unlawful’.
He then took the Scottish Government to court, and on the eve of the judicial review case officials were forced to concede that the probe had been unfair and tainted with apparent bias. This led to Mr Salmond receiving more than £500,000 in taxpayers’ money.
At the time, Mr Salmond urged Mrs Evans to consider her position, and calls for her to quit continue to be made two years later.
But despite making a public apology to ‘all involved’, Mrs Evans has not resigned.
Instead, in a statement she said: ‘My priority remains the duty of care to my staff, including anyone in the organisation who brings forward any concerns about inappropriate conduct, regardless of the identity or seniority of the individual complained about.’
In March, Mr Salmond was cleared of 13 charges of sexual assault, reigniting calls for Mrs Evans to quit amid claims of a political conspiracy from Mr Salmond’s supporters.
Both she and Miss Sturgeon stand by the complaints process extending the policy to include former ministers which was signed off in 2017.
Mrs Evans was the first witness to appear yesterday in front of the Holyrood committee investigating the Scottish Government’s handling of harassment complaints.
As well as upsetting those who back Mr Salmond, Mrs Evans has also been the pillar of ‘frustration’ for MSPs sitting on the cross-party committee.
As the most senior civil servant in Scotland, Mrs Evans was the point of contact for pulling together vital evidence for the inquiry. However, she told MSPs that she could not meet deadlines due to the Covid-19 pandemic – and has also said some of the documents will not be available due to ‘legal privilege’.
The argument has peaked, with committee convener Linda Fabiani threatening to use legal powers to force officials to provide all the documents required for the inquiry – including legal advice.
At yesterday’s committee meeting, Mrs Evans was urged to consider how the Government was cooperating. In an opening statement, she said she wished to underline the ‘Scottish Government’s commitment to co-operating fully with the committee’.
Despite the current controversy surrounding her, Mrs Evans recently signed a two-year extension to her contract, committing her to two more years in her job, which comes with a salary of around £165,000 a year.