The former SNP leader is taking the Scottish government to court over the handling of allegations against him.
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| Nicola Sturgeon replaced Mr Salmond as first minister in 2014 |
Former Scottish first minister Alex Salmond has denied allegations of harassment and told Sky News he is "not guilty of any criminality whatsoever".
The Scottish government confirmed on Friday that the ex-SNP leader is facing harassment complaints from two people.
They are reported to date from Mr Salmond's time as first minister, with one alleged incident said to have taken place in the first minister's official Bute House residence in Edinburgh in December 2013.
Police Scotland confirmed they are investigating the matter, with a spokesman saying: "We are carrying out an assessment of information which we have received and enquiries are at an early stage."
But Mr Salmond is disputing the claims against him, telling Sky News: "The Scottish government have described it as harassment so I want to be absolutely clear.
"I haven't harassed anyone and I am not guilty of any criminality whatsoever.
"That's my position but beyond that, I can't go into the detail of the complaints that have been made."
Mr Salmond is pursuing legal action against the Scottish government over their handling of an investigation into the complaints.
He accused officials of breaking the confidential nature of the process after "someone around the Scottish government briefed a single newspaper with a distorted version of events".
Mr Salmond said: "My beef is not with the people who have complained, it's with the Scottish government administration who've put a process which breaks every rule of natural justice."
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| Mr Salmond led the SNP over the course of two 10-year terms |
He added: "All I want is a just process, therefore I'm going to the highest court in the land, the Court of Session, to get that fairness which everyone's entitled to."
Earlier, current First Minister Nicola Sturgeon admitted her relationship with Mr Salmond has left her in an "extremely difficult situation" and the case would be "upsetting" for the SNP.
But, she added the complaints "could not be ignored or swept under the carpet".
Ms Sturgeon replaced Mr Salmond as first minister and SNP leader following the 2014 Scottish independence referendum, with his successor acknowledging the "length and the closeness" of their relationship.
In a statement on Friday, Ms Sturgeon confirmed complaints were made against Mr Salmond by two individuals in January, at a time of a wider focus on harassment within UK politics and other industries.
Ms Sturgeon said: "These complaints have been considered since then under a procedure covering ministers and former ministers that was agreed by me in December 2017 in the wake of public concern about harassment.
"Although I have been aware for some time of the fact of the investigation - initially from Alex Salmond - I have had no role in the process, and to have referred to it before now would have compromised the integrity of the internal investigation, which I was not prepared to do."
Ms Sturgeon said the Scottish government "refutes" Mr Salmond's criticisms of its process and "will defend its position vigorously".
"However, this focus on process cannot deflect from the fact that complaints were made that could not be ignored or swept under the carpet," she added.
"I have been clear on many occasions that all organisations and workplaces must make it possible for people to come forward to report concerns and have confidence that they will be treated seriously.
"For that principle to mean anything it cannot be applied selectively.
"It must be applied without fear or favour, regardless of the identity, seniority or political allegiance of the person involved.
"My relationship with Alex Salmond obviously makes this an extremely difficult situation for me to come to terms with.
"I am also acutely aware how upsetting this will be for my party."
Mr Salmond revealed his legal action against the Scottish government in a statement released late on Thursday.
He described how he had attempted to persuade Leslie Evans, permanent secretary to the Scottish government, that "she is behaving unlawfully in the application of a complaints procedure introduced by her more than three years after I left office".
"This is a procedure so unjust that even now I have not been allowed to see and therefore to properly challenge the case against me. I have not been allowed to see the evidence," he added.
If he wins his case, Mr Salmond claimed "the administration at the senior levels of the Scottish government will have the most serious questions to answer".
Ms Evans said Mr Salmond's statement "contains significant inaccuracies", adding: "As the head of the civil service in Scotland, I have been consistently clear that there is no place for harassment of any kind in the workplace.
"In line with work already under way in the organisation to tackle inappropriate behaviour, I will consider carefully any issues about culture and working practices highlighted by these complaints."
After losing his Westminster seat at last year's snap general election, Mr Salmond controversially went on to host a show on Kremlin-backed TV channel Russia Today.
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