Keith Brown, a Royal Marine commando in the Falklands War, tried to escape the media ambush in Holyrod by queuing for the canteen.
The Minister of Justice refused to discuss his own participation in the incident, referring only to previous statements by the Prime Minister.
It follows that Scottish leader Tories Douglas Ross repeatedly questioned Nicola Sterzon on FMQ over a missing key document on the deal reached in late 2015.
Despite warning of the financial risks of continuing the standard refund guarantees, the SNP ministers acted independently.
However, the document that should have documented this decision and the rationale behind it are missing, with the result that government auditors have expressed their frustration with the hole in the paper trail.
The 97 97m contract with the Ferguson Marine shipyard in Clyde later became sour, leading to its collapse and nationalization, and the vessels are four years behind and exceed their 150 150 million budget.
Ms Sturgeon has since sought to hold accountable the embarrassed former Secretary of State Derek Mackay, who resigned from the cabinet over a luxury scandal in 2020.
The available documents show that on August 20, 2015, Mr. Brown, then Secretary of the Cabinet for Investment in Infrastructure and Cities, was asked to approve the agreement while Mr. Mackay, then Minister of Transport and Islands, was on leave. .
His reply is not recorded in public correspondence.
On October 8, 2015, officials asked Mr. Mackay to sign the agreement after explaining the pitfalls, and Mr. Brown, as Mr. Mackay’s boss, was the first person to copy the email.
The response to this is not recorded in public mail and auditors believe it was probably never created, although it should have been.
On 9 October 2015, Scottish Transport officials told Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd, the owner of the public sector ferry, that the “Scottish Ministers” had collectively approved the agreement.
However, it is not clear from the email whether Mr Mackay was solely responsible or whether Mr Brown also had a hand.
Following the FMQ today, the Holyrood news agency tried to ask Mr Brown if he had actually signed the agreement.
He said: “I think you have heard the answer of the First Minister.”
Asked why the decision was made, as he was the department’s secretary general, Mr Brown continued to walk down the main staircase to the garden lobby, passing an MSP photo and the canteen, where he joined the queue.
Asked again to explain the decision, Mr Brown said: “I just answered the question.”
Asked if people could suspect his behavior, he said: “You had a very complete answer from the First Minister. I have nothing to add to the First Minister’s answer.”
Asked if he had discussed the matter with the First Minister at the time of the decision, Mr Brown said: “You had a full answer from the Prime Minister.”
Saying no complete answer was given, Mr Brown said: “Do you want me to answer the question? Did you have a full answer from the First Secretary? I have nothing to add to the First Secretary’s comments.”
Asked if, like some Ferguson Marine staff, he had a gag order, Mr Brown appeared to be smiling behind his mask for Covid.
Brown later gave an interview to Channel 4 News in which he said that he “responded” to the email of August 2015, but Mr. Mackay had signed the agreement in October.
“This document, the one he signed, if it ever existed, is not available now.”
I asked Keith Brown about his involvement in the controversial Ferguson Marine deal in 2015, when he was infrastructure secretary @ScotGov. @ Channel4News pic.twitter.com/muxgX0E8Yi
– Ciaran Jenkins (@ C4Ciaran) April 28, 2022
Stressing the jobs saved by the contract, he said of the missing document: “This document, the one he signed, if it ever existed, is not available now.”
It was Mr. Mackay’s job to sign it, he said.
