Saturday 29 August 2009

The truth never dies: Megrahi demands Lockerbie inquiry

[This is the headline over the report on The Herald's website by Ian Ferguson and Lucy Adams on their interview in Tripoli with Abdelbaset Megrahi. The following are excerpts. The full story can be read only in The Herald's print edition.]

The man convicted of the Lockerbie bombing has backed demands for a far-reaching public inquiry into the atrocity, saying the international community owes that to the families of the 270 victims.

In his first full-length interview since being released last week, Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al Megrahi told The Herald: "We all want to know the truth. The truth never dies."

Speaking from a hospital bed at his home in Tripoli, Megrahi talked extensively about his 10-year battle with the Scottish legal system and insisted he did not commit the worst terrorist act on mainland Britain. (...)

Megrahi, who has terminal prostate cancer, revealed he dropped his appeal against the conviction because he would not live to see its outcome and was desperate to return to his family. "It is all about my family," he said. "People have said there was pressure from the Libyan authorities or Scottish authorities, but it wasn't anything like this."

Instead, he put his faith in an appeal for compassion and said he was impressed by Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill during their meeting at Greenock Prison. "I thought he was a very decent man and he gave me a chance to say what I wanted and to express myself. He gave me the chance to make a presentation to him and he was very polite."

Megrahi is still determined to clear his name, partly through an autobiography, and also backs a public inquiry. Dr Jim Swire, who lost his daughter Flora in the tragedy, has already called for such an investigation, but the UK Government seems firmly opposed.

"I support the issue of a public inquiry if it can be agreed. In my view, it is unfair to the victim's families that this has not been heard. It would help them to know the truth. As I said, the truth never dies.

"If the UK guaranteed it, I would be very supportive. I would want to help Dr Swire and the others with the documents I hold."

However, he added during an hour-long interview: "My feeling is that the UK Government will avoid a public inquiry because it would be a headache for them and the Americans and it would show how much the Americans have been involved and it would also cost them a lot of money which they may not want to spend because of the recession."

Megrahi was vitriolic about the Scottish police and legal system. "I was supposed to receive a fair trial and I was supposed to be subject to fair procedure. From day one of the trial there were delays and delays from the Crown Office. "The Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission found at least six grounds of appeal and said there were six grounds on which it may have been a miscarriage of justice.

"From that point we asked the Crown for more documents and more papers. We received only some of them and they were still redacted. Most of the pages were black and I think this is shameful. They were supposed to give us everything."

Referring to the revelation seven years ago that some of the police notebooks recording the aftermath of the tragedy had been destroyed, Megrahi said: "It is very strange that the police forces that dealt with the case - and there were more than 400 officers - it is very strange that many of their notebooks went missing.

When one officer was asked about a notebook, he said it was destroyed. I find this very strange. Surely to destroy the notebooks of so many people is a decision that someone must have been made? This is not fair and is a big question mark about the case."

He said his priority now is to spend time with his five children, the youngest of whom is still of primary school age. "It was always my dream to come back to my family. It was in my prayers every day and when I received the diagnosis, even more so."

3 comments:

  1. MISSION LOCKERBIE: Mr. Andelbaset Al Megrahi support the issue of a public inquiry. New Tactics:

    The result of a criminal charge against Scottish officials is the beginning of a further investigation in the "Lockerbie-conspiracy" against Libya.

    Some of the Scottish Officials are the true criminals in the Lockerbie Affair: Ex forensic scientist Dr Thomas Hayes (RARDE) UK, Ex forensic expert Allen Feraday (RARDE) UK and three known persons of the Scottish police are responsible for manipulating evidence in the Lockerbie Affair and are still protected by the Scottish Justice ! (They are not involved in the PanAm 103 bombing, but responsible for the conspiracy against Libya).

    Mr.Saif El Islam Gaddafi say: "behind the renewed friendship with UK lurked the presence of Abdul Baset Ali al-Megrahi, who was convicted in 2001 of the bombing of a Pan Am airliner above Lockerbie in December 1988, in which 270 people were killed.
    The Libyan authorities insist that he is the victim of a miscarriage of justice".

    Mr. Megrahi support the issue of a public inquiry:
    "In my view, it is unfair to the victim's families that this has not been heard before. It would help them to know the truth. The truth never dies". He added: "I would want to help Dr Swire and the others with the documents I hold".

    The Lockerbie-Case is not closed! Constantly Justice For Abdelbaset Al Megrahi and Libya!

    The U.S. Justice Department confirmed on August 27, 2009 that a criminal idictment remains open against Lockerbie Mr. Abdelbaset al-Megrahi and other unnamed Libyan conspirators.

    More informations including defence evidences on: www.lockerbie.ch

    by Edwin and Mahnaz Bollier, MEBO Ltd. Switzerland

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  2. Of course, destruction of evidence that implicates the state is a hallmark of government sensitive cases.

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  3. It's crucial there's an investigation into the interference of the UK government in the Scottish justice system. In a democracy people need to know exactly how the whole legal process was manipulated. They need to know this for their own security because each and every individual could be set up by a state agency and then convicted by a court working in the interests of the government.

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