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Trump 'inquiry' to quiz Salmond Official's Trump call 'irregular'
(about 10 hours later)
First Minister Alex Salmond will be quizzed by MSPs, as part of an inquiry into the Scottish Government's handling of Donald Trump's golf resort plan. The boss of the council which rejected Donald Trump's golf resort plan said he later received an "irregular" call from the government's chief planner.
Ministers decided to have the final say on the £1bn proposals for the north east after Aberdeenshire Council threw the planning application out. Aberdeenshire Council chief executive Alan Campbell told MSPs of his concern about the call, made on the day the proposals were called in by ministers.
Holyrood's local government committee will also question several other key figures involved in the plans. Holyrood's Local Government Committee is investigating the Scottish Government's handling of the plans.
First Minister Alex Salmond will also be questioned by the committee.
Ministers decided to have the final say on the £1bn proposals for the Menie Estate after the council narrowly rejected them.
Planning process
Mr Campbell told MSPs that, on 12 December 2007, hours before the government decided it would have the final say on the plans, he recieved a phone call from Scotland's chief planner, Jim McKinnon to discuss what the options were.
When the council chief realised that two of Mr Trump's representatives - George Sorial and Neil Hobday - were with the chief planner, he said he was not prepared to have the discussion and asked them to leave, before it continued.
"I would regard it as irregular to have the conversation with them there because I wanted to explore things official to official," Mr Campbell told MSPs.
The decision to call in the application was confirmed in subsequent phone calls to Mr Campbell.
Scots Lib Dem leader Nicol Stephen raised serious concerns on the issue.Scots Lib Dem leader Nicol Stephen raised serious concerns on the issue.
However, Mr Salmond has denied any wrong-doing in the affair, amid concerns about the integrity of the planning process.However, Mr Salmond has denied any wrong-doing in the affair, amid concerns about the integrity of the planning process.
The committee will also question Finance Secretary John Swinney - who will now decide whether the plans for a world-class golf course, hotel and hundreds of new houses on the Menie Estate get the go-ahead. The Holyrood committee will also question Finance Secretary John Swinney - who will now decide whether the plans for a world-class golf course, hotel and hundreds of new house get the go-ahead.
Scotland's chief planner, Jim McKinnon, will also be quizzed, as well as the chief executive of Aberdeenshire Council, Alan Campbell. Committee convener, Labour MSP Duncan McNeil, said it hoped to get to the heart of whether Mr Salmond was acting as first minister or a constituency MSP.