Carmichael case legal expenses considered in Court of Session

The legal expenses of the case against Orkney and Shetland MP Alistair Carmichael will be considered at Edinburgh Court of Session today, Monday.

In December, a petition against Mr Carmichael, lodged by four Orkney residents, was refused by Lady Paton and Lord Matthews, who found that he had not committed an ‘illegal practice”.

The petitioners — Timothy Morrison, Cary Welling, Fiona Grahame and Euphemia Matheson — had set out to overturn the result of the May, 2015, General Election, after it was revealed that, despite denying it, Mr Carmichael was responsible for a leaked memo to the press which led to the Daily Telegraph claiming that First Minister Nicola Sturgeon told a French Diplomat that she secretly wanted David Cameron to remain in power.

A crowdfunding appeal launched by the petitioners has raised £209,700  towards legal costs of their case, which have been estimated to be in the region of £208,000.

However, in addition to their own legal costs, judges could order the petitioners to pay part or all of Mr Carmichael’s £150,000 legal bill.