Salmond’s estate seeks effective bankruptcy due to historic legal costs
Alex Salmond was virtually bankrupt when he died after years of defending himself in expensive court cases, it has emerged.
Lawyers instructed to wind up the late former First Minister’s estate have confirmed they will apply next week to have a “trustee in sequestration” appointed — the Scottish legal term for bankruptcy.
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The former SNP leader contested two court hearings over the course of 18 months beginning in 2018. It is understood the legal actions placed a huge financial strain on him.
Mr Salmond was ultimately successful in a judicial review of the Scottish Government’s handling of complaints against him and was later cleared of 14 charges of sexual misconduct following a trial at the High Court in Edinburgh.
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Sources claim he "lost almost all of his income" from directorships and speaking engagements as a result of his determination to fight the cases and restore his reputation.
Mr Salmond was also pursuing a claim against the Scottish government for malfeasance – the wrongful exercise of lawful authority – which still remains active.
Yesterday the firm of Levy & McRae, instructed by Mr Salmond’s widow, Moira, to wind up his affairs, confirmed it had identified the expense of his legal defences as the primary reason for his bankruptcy.
Mr Salmond vehemently denied the allegations and won a judicial review into the way the investigation was handled.
The Scottish government was later ordered to pay £512,000 in legal costs.
However, his lawyers insisted that "not a penny" went to Mr Salmond or his wife, with the entirety used to cover legal bills.
Mr Salmond returned to court again, where he faced 14 charges of alleged sexual misconduct against nine women at the High Court in Edinburgh in March 2020.
He was ultimately acquitted of 12 charges and found not proven on one, with one charge withdrawn – but his defence lawyers cost him more than £300,000.
David McKie, a senior partner at Levy & McRae and the former first minister’s lawyer, said: "It was a matter of great satisfaction for [Salmond], and for Moira, that he was successful in exposing the unlawful conduct of the Scottish government and then clearing his name."
Salmond was the director of two companies at the time of his death, publisher Chronicles of Deer Limited, and Slainte Media, which he co-owned with former SNP MP Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh.
Other income channels included pensions from his time as an economist at Royal Bank of Scotland, a civil servant, and as an MP and MSP.
Salmond left the SNP in 2021 to form the Alba Party, which he led until his death at the age of 69 in October 2024 from a heart attack while he attended a political conference in North Macedonia.