The former leader of Scotland has been charged with 9 sexual assaults and 2 attempted rapes

REUTERS/Russell Cheyne

Former First Minister of Scotland Alex Salmond gives a statement after his court appearance at the Edinburgh Sheriff Court, in Edinburgh, Scotland, on Thursday.

• Alex Salmond has been charged with nine counts of sexual assault and two counts of attempted rape.
• The former first minister of Scotland was also charged with counts of indecent assault count of breach of the peace.
• He was in charge of Scotland from 2007 to 2014, and resigned after failing to persuade Scotland to vote for independence in a nationwide referendum.
• Salmond said outside Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Thursday that he was "innocent of any criminality" and said he would fight the charges in court.
• Salmond was under investigation by Police Scotland over allegations of sexual harassment, which he denied.

Alex Salmond, the former First Minister of Scotland, has been charged with multiple counts of sexual assault and two counts of attempted rape.

Salmond faces 14 charges in total, including two counts of indecent assault and one count of breach of the peace, the BBC reported.

Salmond appeared in a closed session of Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Thursday afternoon. He said outside the court that he was "innocent of any criminality" and that he would "defend himself to the utmost in court," Scotland's Daily Record newspaper reported.

Salmond said that he was unable to comment further outside of the courtroom. He made no plea during the hearing and was released on bail, according to the BBC.

Police Scotland had been investigating Salmond, who resigned as first minister in 2014, over allegations of sexual harassment, which he denied.

He was accused in August of sexual misconduct with two female staff members while in office. He then called the allegations "patently ridiculous."

He won a legal challenge against the Scottish government in January after the government admitted that it had acted unlawfully against him.