How did a political friendship that brought Scotland tantalizingly close to independence descend into such rancor?

The bitterness of their feud makes high drama this'll dysfunctional relationship between the two most important people in the nationalist movement.

Alex Salmond on Nichola sturgeon, who are now mortal enemies.

But the personal clash exposes a bitter political defied in the SNP, upon which the long term fate of the UK hangs for.

It's a dispute about where the independence project goes next, Nicholas sergeants, historically very important to the country, to the SNP, and we have to get behind hard on, get behind the future of the country and unify as a party.

In March last year, Alex Salmond was on trial, charged with multiple counts of sexual assault.

Nine women gave evidence against him.

Alex Salmond left the high court an innocent man acquitted of all the charges against him.

By now, he was convinced that he bean the victim of a deliberate plot to destroy his reputation, and he said the evidence would soon come out.

Evidence that I have the flight have seen lead in this trial, but for a variety of reasons, we were not able to do so at some point that information that fax and that evidence will see the light off day.

But it wouldn't be this day.

Now it's the Scottish government he once led.

That's on trial.

Mr.

Salmon has told the inquiry in writing that there was a malicious and concerted effort by Scottish government and SNP officials to remove him from public life, even to the extent of having the imprisoned, he said.

Hey accuses Nichola sturgeons husband, the SNP chief executive Peter Moral, of trying to persuade staff and ex staff members to submit police complaints against him.

In January 2018, the Scottish government began an investigation after two women civil servants complained about him.

In March that year, Alex Salmon complained that the investigation was unfair.

He wasn't given the chance to defend himself.

The Scottish government carried on regardless, so he brought his case here to the law courts on one in a in a process known as judicial review.

The Court of Session found in January 2019 that the Scottish government's handling of complaints against Alex Salmond was unfair and tainted by apparent bias.

The court ordered the Scottish government to pay him more than £500,000 in legal fees.

Yeah, it was a staggering defeat for the Scottish government, revealing incompetent and even unlawful conduct at the highest levels.

The current Hollywood inquiry was set up to examine how the Scottish government got its internal investigation so badly wrong.

That is, criminal trial.

Alex Sammons, defense counsel Gordon Jackson went further.

There's something going on here, he told the jury.

I can't prove it, but I can smell it.

Evidence for whatever is he thought he could smell is what Alex Salmond hopes to bring before the Holy Rood inquiry on.

If Gordon Jackson couldn't prove it in court last year, can Alex Salmon prove it?

Now?

He says that the Scottish government had been given explicit legal advice that it would lose the court of session case on it went ahead with it anyway.

That's a very serious charge.

Secondly, claims that ah special adviser was heard saying they wanted to get him, which also is a fairly serious accusation.

But probably the worst is that he says very categorically that Nicolas Sturgeon has not told the truth about meeting she had with him prior to all this in 2000 and 18 on that.

If you like to be the worst outcome for Nicolas Sturgeon, what did she know and when did you know it?

Nicola Sturgeon told Parliament that she first heard of the complaints against Alex Salmond at a meeting with him at her private home in Glasgow on April the 2nd, 2018.

She did not inform her civil servants of that meeting on no minute was taken from.

But a former chief of staff to Alex Salmon told the criminal trial last year that he had told Nicola Sturgeon about the complaints three days earlier at a meeting here of Holly Root, a meeting she later said she had for gotten.

In which case, Why did she agree to meet Alex Salmon and private on Keep No record of what they discussed?

Alex Salmon says she has repeatedly misled Parliament on this.

Under this, books are in breach of the ministerial code.

On allegation, she denies.

Many claims have been made about me that are legitimate questions I have to answer.

I rightly improperly subjected to scrutiny, but he also has a no obligation if he is making claims about conspiracy or plots against him.

to not have that as assertion or smear or insinuation, but to bring forward the evidence of that.

And that's his opportunity to do that.

This week.

Thank you Convener Alex Sammons decision to delay his appearance comes after he raised questions about the inquiry's credibility.

The Crown Office, Scotland's Public Prosecution Service, intervened this morning to block publication of some of Mr Sammons written evidence limiting what he would be able to say as a witness after raising legal concerns.

The head of the Crown Office is one of the Scottish ministers and is appointed on the recommendation of the first minister.

Mr.

Salmon supporters say this amended publication of his submission amounts to silencing him on denying him the address he is seeking, Ruth Davidson of the Scottish Conservatives told Parliament.

There was a cover up orchestrated at the heart of government.

The whole affair has shown an unforgiving light on the governance of Scotland, the openness and accountability of its institutions.

In his written evidence, Alex Salmon says there has been a complete breakdown of the barriers between government, political party on prosecutors, barriers that are essential to any functional democracy.

I have to say the Scottish government have been incredibly obstructive.

We need to get to the bottom of why the Scottish government lost the judicial review, why they brought forward a flawed policy, um, to deal with harassment complaints on.

We don't start to get into that unless we can actually see the legal advice that was provided to the government.

Nicolas Sturgeon promised that the committee would get every document they asked for all the cooperation we required on none of that has really happened to the extent that it should have done.

The salmon sturgeon rupture exposes an increasingly bitter split in the SNP that was emerging anyway.

With polls now showing a majority sustained over many months now in favor of independence, many allies of Alex salmon see Nicholas Sturgeon is too cautious.

They want a more radical Plan B for independence, one that gets round Westminster's legal right to veto another referendum.

She remains popular in the party and in the country.

Her handling of the pandemic has boosted already strong public approval ratings.

But now her supporters feel the need for the first time to defend her not from opponents of independence but from supporters who thinks she's not radical enough.

This has never been a better time.

In terms of the mood of the country, Nicolas Sturgeon is more respected than any leader has ever bean.

She's more respected in European capitals, which is crucial because the whole point of having the argument is to get Scotland back into Europe and they'll have to receive Scotland and acceptance.

So necklace sergeants, historically very important to the country, to the SNP.

And we have to get behind heart on, get behind the future of the country and unify as a party on, I think that will happen.

Nicolas Sturgeon is facing a second parallel inquiry, led by a former public prosecutor to determine whether she did indeed break the ministerial code.

In normal times, breaking that code would trigger a resignation.

But these are not normal times.

None of Alex Sammons fury has yet dented her popularity with the public.

Polls suggest you lead the SNP to an overwhelming victory in May's Hollywood elections on that there could well be a strong pro independence majority in the Scottish Parliament, a majority that will have promised the electorate a second referendum on independence.

If she does.

What happens when Boris Johnson says no healing the rift in her party and securing her own leadership of it will depend on how she tries to answer that question.