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| - A Scottish parliamentary committee has found against the country's first minister Nicola Sturgeon, in her government's handling of sexual assault complaints against her predecessor, British media reported Thursday. Lawmakers are due to publish their findings on Tuesday, but several outlets said the committee had voted 5-4 that Sturgeon gave an "inaccurate" account of a meeting with Alex Salmond. None quoted sources and there was no immediate comment from the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh, in a case that has developed into a full-blown crisis for the independence movement. But if confirmed, it is likely to increase pressure on her to stand down, just before May elections in which her Scottish National Party (SNP) has been expected to secure a majority. Success would put the SNP in a strong position to ask for UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson to grant powers to hold another vote on independence, despite his repeated refusal to do so. A previous vote in 2014 saw Scots opt to remain part of the United Kingdom. Earlier this month, Sturgeon vehemently denied claims that she misled parliament about when she knew of the claims against her former friend and mentor. Salmond, who was first minister from 2007 to 2014, was cleared of all charges at a criminal trial last year, and claims the accusations were politically motivated. He has accused Sturgeon of a failure of leadership, and that she breached the ministerial code governing behaviour and conduct, which is normally a matter for resignation. A spokesman for Sturgeon said: "The first minister told the truth to the committee in eight hours of evidence, and stands by that evidence." He accused opposition members of rushing to judgement, even before she appeared before the committee. "This partisan and selective briefing -- before the committee has actually published its final report -- is hardly surprising," he added. A second separate inquiry is also being conducted into whether Sturgeon broke the ministerial code. Before the criminal trial, a civil court found the government probe into the complaints was unlawful and "tainted by apparent bias". Salmond, 66, was awarded more than £500,000 ($699,000) in costs. He has accused Sturgeon, 50, and her administration of wasting public money fighting the civil proceedings challenging the complaints procedure, despite legal advice that it was doomed. Sturgeon and Salmond are two of the independence movement's biggest names. The row has laid bare factional fighting within the SNP, as well as continued support for Salmond. She has won plaudits for her handling of Edinburgh's response to the coronavirus pandemic, while there have been persistent rumours that Salmond has been eyeing a political comeback. srg/phz/dl
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