Former Scottish first minister Alex Salmond has been accused of "abusing his power" by crowdfunding for a legal challenge against the Scottish government, after he was accused of sexual misconduct.
Salmond set up the page on Wednesday night, with a fundraising target of £50,000. By 10am on Thursday, he had already raised more than £70,000.
The former Scottish National Party (SNP) leader has asked for donations to help pay for taking the Scottish government to court after it launched an inquiry into sexual misconduct allegations against him, all of which he has denied.
On Wednesday he released a statement saying he had also resigned his SNP membership, following pressure on current SNP leader and first minister Nicola Sturgeon to suspend him during the investigation.
Salmond's decision to ask for money was heavily criticised by the SNP's Labour and Conservative opponents in Scotland.
Rhoda Grant, women's spokesperson for Scottish Labour, said: "That an independently wealthy man with his celebrity and political power is to raise legal fees through a crowdfunder for a case ultimately linked to sexual harassment is unbelievable.
"It suggests that he is sending a signal to those who have made allegations that he has the upper hand. Decent people will rightly be furious that he is to raise money to take the Scottish government to court.
"Alex Salmond is abusing his power, and dragging Scotland into the gutter."
Labour MSP Jackie Baillie was also angry about the move.
Alex Salmond crowdfunding his court challenge of the SNP Government is a disgrace. Saying it’s about independence is rubbish. This is simply about distracting attention from the allegations of sexual harassment. It is an abuse of power and our politics should be better than this.
Scottish Conservative MSP Annie Wells said Salmond had "some brass neck" to publicly crowdfund for his legal challenge.
"There is something deeply unsettling about an independently wealthy man asking ordinary people for money so he can take the government of Scotland to court for investigating allegations of sexual harassment against staff," she said.
She added: "What has happened to the voices of those women who've brought serious complaints?"
Sources close to Salmond rejected the criticism, claiming that many Labour and Tory supporters had already contributed to the fund in order to back "natural justice". They said the large number of people who had donated so far indicated the "breadth and depth of concern" and Salmond was grateful for their support.
Salmond puts Scottish independence first Help support the costs of Alex Salmond's Judicial Review in the Court of Session. https://t.co/rQmb7GGLU4 #forFairness https://t.co/7S5qkoNvDq
In a statement posted on Twitter, Salmond said many people had asked how they could help in his legal fight.
"My intention is to secure fairness because that is necessary to clear my name," he said. "I am enormously grateful for the messages of support and encouragement I have received, including from people of other political persuasions.
"I can assure them all that I will keep on going, The costs of a judicial review in the highest court in the land are huge. Many have asked how they can help directly. Therefore I have established a crowd funder to assist with costs."
Legal experts estimate that the cost of the judicial review could reach over £150,000, according to sources close to Salmond. If the case is a success and results in surplus funds, the money will be given to charity.
The allegations date back to when he was in office, including an alleged incident involving a woman employed at his then official residence in Edinburgh in December 2013, according to the Daily Record.
Sturgeon said last week that the complaints were "upsetting" for the SNP — which Salmond led for 10 years — but they "could not be ignored or swept under the carpet".
Leslie Evans, permanent secretary at the Scottish government, has confirmed that two complaints were made in January against Salmond, and he was notified in March.