ALEX Salmond is under pressure to make a "full disclosure" about his links with Rupert Murdoch when he appears before the Leveson Inquiry this week.
The First Minister has also been urged to reveal whether his phone was hacked by the media tycoon's newspapers.
Salmond is among a raft of senior politicians due to appear before Lord Justice Leveson over the next few days, including former prime ministers Gordon Brown and Sir John Major, Chancellor George Osborne, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, Labour leader Ed Miliband, and Prime Minster David Cameron.
The First Minister, who has repeatedly refused to tell Parliament if he was the victim of hacking, is due at the inquiry on Wednesday to discuss the relationship between politicians and the press.
His silence has been criticised by opposition MSPs, who say it would reflect very badly on him if he had ignored his phone being hacked in order to curry favour with Murdoch. At the 2011 Holyrood election, the Scottish Sun and the News Of The World supported the SNP.
It recently emerged that one of Salmond's aides, the MSP Joan McAlpine, was the victim of suspected phone hacking by private detectives working for Murdoch's News International.
Even after the News Of The World closed last year following the revelation it hacked the phone of murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler, Salmond continued to court Murdoch. The First Minister invited the News Corp boss to tea at his official residence as recently as April.
Salmond is expected to be asked about his apparent enthusiasm for Murdoch's attempt to take 100% control of the broadcaster BSkyB last year. After meeting Geoff Aberdein, one of Salmond's special advisers, in February 2011, News Corp lobbyist Fred Michel emailed Rupert's son, James, to report: "I met with Alex Salmond's adviser today. He will call Hunt whenever we need him to."
At the time, Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt was in charge of deciding whether to allow News Corp's bid for full control of BSkyB to go ahead.
On March 2, 2011, Michel also emailed James Murdoch to report a phone call from Salmond in which the First Minister invited both men to dinner at his official residence in Edinburgh after learning The Sun would back the SNP in the Holyrood election. The email said: "On the Sky bid, he will make himself available to support the debate if consultation is launched." Salmond booked a call with Hunt the next day, although interruptions meant it never took place.
Salmond's office has tried to downplay the affair by pointing out the First Minister had no decision-making role in the BSkyB bid. However, this overlooks his ability to lobby Hunt.
Labour MSP Paul Martin said previous evidence to Leveson showed Salmond had acted as a "private cheerleader" for the Murdochs on the BSkyB bid.
He said: "Alex Salmond's toe-curling fawning over Rupert Murdoch – even after the shocking Milly Dowler revelations – has shamed Scotland."
Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson added: "We need to know if Scotland's First Minister hawked himself around as a lobbyist on behalf of the Murdoch empire."
A spokesman for Salmond declined to comment, saying Leveson was the appropriate forum to discuss the issues.
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