Former Health Secretary Jeane Freeman handed over a tranche of WhatsApp messages to the inquiry but has denied deleting any.
The ex-MSP gave officials phone data but it is understood that not all had been retained.The disclosure comes after counsel to the UK Covid inquiry Jamie Dawson KC, accused the Scottish Government of not handing over messages.
The top lawyer said that so far only one individual has voluntarily provided access to her messages but even those were limited without explanation to a five month period.The Sunday Mail first revealed in June that the WhatsApp messages of senior Scottish ministers were being sought by the inquiry team.
When asked then about our exclusive report, Freeman said: “I’m sorry to say it but the Sunday Mail story is a non-story.“Nobody’s asked for these WhatsApps yet for the Scottish Inquiry, so therefore nobody’s refused.