THE Law Society of Scotland has concluded there was no wrongdoing by a firm offering an out-of-hours phone service for lawyers.
Its report yesterday revealed there was no evidence to support last year's high-profile allegations of wrongdoing by the directors of Esto.
Esto was set up in December to provide an outsourcing service for solicitors after the Cadder ruling stipulated suspects must not be questioned without access to a lawyer.
The directors of Esto, who included John Scott, QC, and Ian Bryce, denied allegations the business took advantage of insider knowledge because five of the directors had been members of the Law Society's Criminal Legal Aid Negotiating Team (Clant).
They said information about legal aid and the Cadder case was all in the public domain and the venture "offered no special assistance or advice". However, Glasgow Bar Association wrote to the society calling for answers and several Esto directors stood down.
A review carried out by the society has concluded there was no evidence of wrongdoing and those concerned had used their positions on the Clant with the sole intention of assisting fellow solicitors.
Mr Bryce, director of Esto, said: "We welcome this report which entirely vindicates our position."
Mr Scott, former director, said: "The report clears us of any 'wrongdoing' and states specifically that there were no conflicts of interest and no potential conflicts of interest. I welcome that."
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