Police have received a “non-recent” allegation of sexual assault made against Alex Salmond, who was leader of the Alba Party up until his sudden death last month.

Mr Salmond died of a heart attack on October 12 during a political visit to North Macedonia. His funeral was held on October 29 in Strichen, Aberdeenshire.

Mr Salmond was first minister of Scotland from 2007-2014 under the Scottish National Party (SNP) government.

He resigned in 2018 after a number of allegations of sexual misconduct came to light.

He was later cleared of all 14 charges in 2020 – being found not guilty of 12, while prosecutors withdrew another charge and one was found not proven.

Police Scotland has now said a separate report of misconduct has been filed against Mr Salmond.

A spokesperson said: “We can confirm that we have received a report of a non-recent sexual assault.

“The information is being assessed.”

Responding to coverage of the allegations reported by the media, Alba Party general secretary Chris McEleny said the claims are “smears” and urged for Mr Salmond to be allowed to “rest in peace”.

The Scottish Government said it would not be appropriate to comment at this time.

The SNP has been contacted for comment.