Michael Matheson quit his ministerial job because the government probe into his £11,000 iPad scandal shows that he lied to Holyrood’s Presiding Officer AFTER finding out his children had racked up the bill.
Matheson, 53, said he found out on November 9 that his children had used the iPad data to stream an Old Firm game but didn’t tell the public until November 16. It’s unclear what other excuse he gave the Presiding Officer, although it’s expected to be revealed when the report is made public later this month.
In his resignation statement he said: “I have still not received the findings of their review, however, it is in the best interest of myself and the Government for me to now step down to ensure this does not become a distraction to taking forward the Government’s agenda.” Scottish politics Holyrood’s standards, procedures and public appointments or the Ethical Standards Commissioner could be asked to look at his conduct and decide on sanctions including having to apologise to parliament or be suspended for a certain period of time.