John Swinney says investigation into Michael Matheson has been 'prejudiced'

dailyrecord.co.uk:

John Swinney has said the investigation into Michael Matheson's £11,000 data roaming scandal has been "prejudiced".The First Minister said he will not be supporting the 27-day suspension and a salary ban which was recommended by a parliament committee.Swinney took issue with comments made by Tory MSP Annie Wells, who voted for Matheson's suspension on the Standards Committee.

Wells had previously publicly criticised Matheson. Holyrood's Corporate Body judged Matheson had breached the code of conduct, but it was the Standards committee who voted for the sanction.SNP leader Swinney also admitted that Matheson is a “friend and colleague” who has “made mistakes”.The Scottish Tories have said they will bring forward a vote to force Matheson to resign next week.Matheson currently faces intense pressure to stand down as an MSP.

Fellow MSPs will have the final say on whether to rubber stamp the sanctions. Matheson quit as Health Secretary this year over the massive bill he racked up on an iPad during a family holiday to Morocco.

He initially pleaded ignorance and was content for the taxpayer to foot the bill for the data roaming. But after facing sustained questions he says his children had used the device to stream football.Swinney said: "Annie Wells said that Michael Matheson's, and I quote, 'desperate efforts to justify his outrageous expenses claim have been riddled with lies, cover-ups and the need for us all to suspend our disbelief."Swinney added that if a constituent was facing disciplinary action at work and their employer made similar comments, he would “come down on that employer like a tonne of bricks”.Holyrood bosses found Matheson guilty of breaching the MSP’s code of conduct and the matter was referred to the