First Minister Alex Salmond was yesterday warned that Donald Trump's plans for a £1bn golf resort in Aberdeenshire could collapse because of the way his government has dealt with it.
Annabel Goldie, leader of the Scottish Conservatives, also accused Mr Salmond of refusing to answer "key questions" about his meeting with two of the American tycoon's representatives the day before the Scottish Government took control of the application.
Aberdeenshire Council's infrastructure services committee kicked out Mr Trump's controversial plans but John Swinney, the Finance Secretary, announced on December 4 that he was calling it in to allow ministers to examine the proposals.
As the First Minister, Mr Salmond is barred from any involvement in the planning process but has insisted he met Mr Trump's representatives on December 3 in his capacity as MSP for Gordon, the constituency in which the resort would be based.
It also emerged on Thursday that the same Trump representatives, George Sorial and Neil Hobday, met the government's chief planner, Jim McKinnon, on the day the application was called in by the government and they were in the room with him when Mr McKinnon placed a call to Aberdeenshire Council's chief executive. Government officials have insisted the that ministerial code of conduct has not been broken.
Ms Goldie yesterday accused the First Minister of being "evasive and obstructive" when questioned during First Minister's Questions at Holyrood on Thursday.
She added: "If the First Minister's conduct or the actions of his government and his officials have in any way prejudiced the planning process and put at risk the outcome by opening it up to challenge, then the Scottish Government is culpable.
"So far, this has been a tale of denial, cover-up and evasion. If this application fails, and Scotland loses this billion-pound investment, the Scottish Government will only have itself to blame."
Meanwhile, the war of words continued yesterday between the SNP and Nicol Stephen, leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats, who told Mr Salmond on Thursday that there was "smell of sleaze" about the affair.
Mr Salmond yesterday accused Mr Stephen of engaging in "wildly irresponsible gutter politics", adding: "He launched a cowardly attack on Jim Mackinnon, a public official who does not have the right to defend himself."
SNP back bencher Alex Neil described Mr Stephen's comments as "unacceptable" and called on him to apologise but a LibDem spokesman said: "This is a disgraceful attempt by the SNP to divert attention away from their disgraceful mismanagement and potentially prejudicial actions on the Trump case.
"Once Alex Neil had ambitions to lead the SNP; now he is reduced to spinning for a government whose probity is in question."
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