Sunday, 5 April 2009
Ten long years
It was on this date in 1999 that Abdelbaset Megrahi and Lamin Fhimah flew from Tripoli to The Netherlands and were then handed over to the Scottish authorities for trial at Camp Zeist. Since that date Megrahi has been in Scottish custody, first as an untried prisoner and, since 31 January 2001, as a convicted prisoner. (Lamin Fhimah was acquitted and returned to Libya on that date.) Megrahi’s appeal was dismissed on 14 March 2002 and since then he has been imprisoned in Scotland (rather than in the prison attached to the Scottish Court at Zeist), first in Barlinnie and later in HMP Greenock. On 28 June 2007 the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission referred Megrahi’s case back to the High Court of Justiciary on the basis that his conviction might have amounted to a miscarriage of justice. The first substantive session of this second appeal is due to start on 28 April 2009, after what has seemed to many observers, including myself, to be a quite extraordinary campaign of delay and obstruction on the part of the Scottish prosecution authorities and the United Kingdom Government.
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The Scottish Justiciary needs a push to save its image in the Lockerbie affair. They finally must begin to clear up the miscarriage of justice against Abdelbaset al Megrahi.
ReplyDeleteHad under the cover of the "Witness Protection Programm" (WPP) bribes been payed for inaccurate testimony with falsified/manipulated evidence.
MEBO's attempt to inquire:
After high amounts of money had been payed to Libyan CIA agent Abdul Maghid Giaka for immoral procuration of evidence and giving wrong evidence at Camp van Zeist, we have to focus also on the activities of the Gauci brothers:
> First Anthony Gauci, shopkeeper of "Mary's House" in Malta, was questioned on the occasion of police investigations on 1/2/8/10/13/14 and on 26 September 1989. Afterwards, from mid of 1991 on a big amount of money (possibly 3 mio. US$) was given to Gauchi for his testimony of wrong fabricated circumstantial evidence...
In Gauci's statement of police (Prod. 469, page 1 and 7 at line 11) on the 10th of September 1990, Tony Gauci gives reference to the various police interrogations in September 1989:
"I have been showed many photographs over the last year, and I have never seen a photograph of the man who bought the clothing".
MEBO: In all the picture parades shown to Gauci always a picture of Abdelbaset al Megrahi (Q9) was included but never a picture from libyan CIA defector Abdul Magjid Giaka!
Probably it was supressed because Abdul Magjid Giaka resembled the policy robotdrawing Q12 to 90% !
MEBO investigation concludes: Not Mr. Abdelbaset Al Megrahi was the Libyan buyer of clothes at Tony Gauci (Boutique Mary's House) on 7th of December but according to our investigation, on 23th of November 1988, 18:45 clock, the Libyan Agent for the CIA, Abdul Magjid Giaka was the buyer!
Mr Giaka received the following sums from the CIA, part cash, part via his bank account at Switzerland in his name:
1989: US$ 13,000; 1990: $ 20'000; 1991: $ 26'000; and 1992:
$ 26,000 again.
From official records until October 1999 the US Justice Department spend US$324,000 in connection with Giaka, accommodation, travelling, etc. A code used on Giaka's form regarding the witness protection
programme is "Puzzle Piece" WF 140440.
> Had a big amount of money (possibly US$ 1,5 mio.) been payed to Tony Gauci's brother Paul around midth 1991 for wrong testimony and production of manipulated delivery receipts /bills concerning blue babygrows with Primark labels und Abanderado T-shirts? His position as Managing Director of the Wholesale Company "Big Ben"would habe made that easily possible (Invoice Prod. 488, 489).
Appaling is that Paul Gauci was not interrogated at Kamp van Zeist Trial about the date and time of the TV broadcoast of a football game which he had watched. Only his brother Tony Gauci was questionded about the TV broadcoast.
On the other hand later at Kamp van Zeist only Paul Gauci's doubtful statements concerning important details of the blue babygrow and the mysterious *Abanderado T-shirts was heard !
For remembrance: Tony Gauci statement after 11 years at the trial in Kamp van Zeist was:
+++
Q- Mr Gauci, Would you look at an item of clothing, Label No.459, please. Do you recognise Label 459? A- It's underwear, T-shirt. Q- What make is it? A- It's *Abanderado make. Q- Did you, in 1988, stock T-shirts of that kind? A- Yes. Yes. When I sold this one, I didn't sell T-shirts. Perhaps sombody else was there. I never sold him a T-shirt. Q- You never sold the Libyan gentlemen a T-shirt? A- On that day, no. On that particular order, no, that we are talking about, no. He could have come another day.
+++
On April 14, 2009 diclosed crown documents are supposed to be handed over to the defence team of Abdelbaset al Megrahi in this context. This could bring clear insight into the bribes payed to the Gauci brothers ...
Between September 1 and 14, 1989 Tony Gauci was questioned by detective chief superintendent of Scottish police, Henry Woods Bell, in the presence of the Maltesian police, Police Inspector Scicluna. The investigation focused on fragments of clothes found in Lockerbie (from PanAm 103) which were tracked back to Boutique "Mary's House" because of their label.
During these interrogations Toni Gauci was shown various pictures from fragments of clothes in a photobook which RARDE at Fort Halstead had handed over to the Scottish Criminal Record Office in Glasgow. (Prod. 495 and image 2)
Harry Bell made arrangements for Tony Gauci to attend at the police headquarters in Malta on the 13th of September 1989. Officers from the German police BKA were present together with a sketch artist. On the 14th September 1989 it was the first time Gauci had to identify the person on the photofit (Prod.430), and Gauci gave a, statement (Prod.458).
On Wednesday, 26th of September, 1989 Tony Gaucy was again in the Malta headquarters in the presence of Inspector Bell and Mr. Scicluna he was shown a number of photographs of men. Gauci did not see the man who sold the clothing to. He pointed out one photoraph of a man who had the same hairstyle. Gauci's statement reads: "This is not the man I sold the clothing to, as the man in the photograph is too young. I have placed my initials on this photograph". (Signed Tony Gauci)
On December of 1989 Harry Bell shows to Tony Gauci a photo spread which included a photograph of Abu Talb (Prod. 1246). Does the label identify this as a selection of photographs, 6-12-89, was shown by Mr. Bell to Tony Gauci on the 6th of December 1989, a photo spread now, including image 1 which was the photograph of the man called Abu Talb. Gauci don't pick anyone out from the photo spread.
Inpector Harry Bell did again see Tony Gauci in March of 1990. In a new statement (Prod. 467a) taken from Tony on the 5th of March 1990, Gauci
make reference to having been shown a newspaper by his brother Paul (page 3 of the statement):
On page 3 on the report, which begins: "I have been asked if I can
remember anything else. About six or eight weeks ago, my brother Paul was reading an English Sunday paper (believed Sunday Times of the 5th of November 1989), and he read some bits of the report to me, including
that the man was in prison. I can't read English. He came to me and he showed me a page of the paper where a picture of a man was printed. I think the man's name was Abdilla. Paul read out the name. He asked me:
Is this the man who bought the clothing? And he made some remarks about the trouble it was causing the family.
I told him that I did not know if it was the man or not because I did not want him to know what I thought or to cause any more trouble. However, I think the photograph printed in the newspaper may have been the
man who bought the clothing. He looks like him. I have been asked the name written in the paper, and I think it was Abdilla, but I'm not sure. I have been asked if I would know the name again, and I would. (DS Byrne then asked if the name was Abu Talb, and the witness very positively agreed that it was.) That was the name Abu Talb."
As a result of the ongoing inquiries, Inspector Harry Bell did in August of 1990, show Mr. Gauci a further set of photographs. Production 468, a statement taken by Harry Bell, Mr. Gauci on the 31st of August 1990. Bell show him 12 photo spreads, include persons who were of interest to the inquiry but Gauci could not see the photograph of the man who had purchased the clothing. He informed Mr. Bell that the man's photograph was not present. (include Photo Q9, Abdelbaset al Megrahi)
Mebo: After Gauci received, a unknown money present, he was invited 1991 again to a meeting into policy headquarters to Malta police.
February of 1991, again Harry Bell visit Malta and show a spread of photographs to Mr. Gauci.
On this occasion the spread of photographs include a person who was of interest to the investigation, the person's name was Abdelbaset al Megrahi. (photo Q9)
Prod. 470 a, is a statement taken by Mr. Gauci's on the 15th of February 1991:
On the photo spread (Production 436 at image 1) that showed
Mr. Gauci that day include the photograph on position *8 of Abdelbaset al Megrahi. (Photo Q9)
Mebo important: What did say Tony Gauci when Harry Bell asked him to look at this photo sheet?:
Bell told him that he had a number of photographs by him and wished to look at each photograph and give time to them.
Gauci's police statement, no. 470:
"On Friday, 15th of February 1991, I attended at police headquarters, Floriana, in Malta. Inspector Scicluna had asked me to come into the police office, and I agreed to come at 1.00 p.m.
I arrived at the police office about 1.10 p.m., and I met Mr. Scicluna and Mr. Bell. I was then introduced to two other men (DC Crawford and SA Reid). I was told by Mr. Bell that he wanted me to look at a few photographs in an attempt to see if I could identify the man who bought the clothing from my shop.
"I was asked to try and picture the man in my mind, and I was told that the photograph of the *man may not be in the photographs that I was about to be shown today." (Photo Q9 was Abdelbaset al Megrahi)
Later in the same meeting:
Tony Gauci: "One of the men (DC Crawford) then handed a card to Mr. Bell. He took brown paper from this card (Production No. DC 839), and the card was placed on the table that I was seated at. I saw that the card was full of photographs of men. (MEBO: without photo Q12 of the libyan CIA defector, Abdul Magjid Giaka!!)
I looked at every photograph on the card, and I counted a total of 12 photographs on the card. The first impression I had was that all the photographs were of men younger than the man who had bought the
clothing. I told Mr. Bell this. I was asked to look at all the photographs carefully and to try and allow for any age difference.
I then pointed out one of the photographs, and I later counted the photographs from the top left as number 1 (one), to this photograph at number 8 (eight). I would say that the photograph at number 8 (eight) is similar to the man who bought the clothing. (MEBO: photo Q14, Abdelbaset al Megrahi).
The hair is perhaps a bit long. The eyebrows are the same. The nose is the same, and his chin and shape of face are the same. The man in the photograph number 8 (eight) is, in my opinion, in his thirty years (30
years). He would perhaps have to look about ten years or more older, and he would look like the man who bought the clothes. It's been a long time now, and I can only say that this photograph number 8 (eight)
resembles the man who bought the clothing, but it is younger.
I was asked to sign my name across the top left side of the photograph to indicate that this was a photograph I had identified to the police. I signed
the photograph. I also signed the label for the card containing the photographs (Production Label Number DC 839)".
MEBO: Photograph number 8 (Q14, Abdelbaset al Megrahi) was delivered to FBI from Swiss police (Passport visa application 1988).
Gauci: "Mr. Bell wrote down a statement from me. I can only say that of the photographs I have been shown, this photograph number 8 (eight) is the only one really similar to the man who bought the clothing. If he was a
bit older, other than the one my brother showed me."
Doubtful work throw a questionable light on the investigation work of Inspector Henry Woods Bell. For example: Excerpt as a witness no, 344 in Kamp van Zeist:
CROSS-EXAMINATION BY MR. KEEN:
Q-- Mr. Bell, you've been referred to a number of statements which were taken from Mr. Anthony Gauci, some of which were taken down in your own hand; is that correct? A--That's correct, sir. Yes.
Q--And on a number of occasions, Mr. Gauci was invited to sign this statement? A--That's correct. Q--And was he invited to sign the statement at the time it was written down by you? A--Yes. Either on the first day -- he went back to his shop on a second occasion, on the 2nd of September, the Saturday, when we asked him to sign the statement, yes.
Q--You are aware, then, that the statement taken on the 1st of September 1989 was not signed until the 2nd of September 1989. A--That's correct. Yes.
Q--And you say that's because you returned to his shop on a second day and then had him sign the statement? A--Yes. He said he would think things over that night and see if he could recall anything else, so we returned for that reason, to ...
Q--Did you have Mr. Gauci read the statement before he signed it? A--No. Mr. Gauci could not read English, and the statement was read out to him. And he signed it. Q--And in what language was the statement read out to him? A-- In English. Q-- In English... hi, hi, hi
by Edwin Bollier, MEBO Ltd, Switzerland
Same accusation - unequal judgement for the two Libyan officials, Amin Khalifa Fhimah and Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi.
ReplyDeleteWhy this difference in the court judgements: not guilty and immediate release for Khalifa Fhimah and guilty (27 years of prison) for Abdelbaset Al Megrahi? Only the wrong statement of Tony Gauci at Camp van Zeist made the difference: "The buyer of the dresses from 7 December 1988 is identical to the one in photo position 8 (Q14), Mr. Abdelbaset Al Megrahi" !!
by Edwin and Mahnaz Bollier, MEBO Ltd, Switzerland