[This is the headline over a report published today on the website of the Aberdeen-based newspaper The Press and Journal. It reads in part:]
Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill is to meet Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al Megrahi.
Libyan authorities have applied for 57-year-old al Megrahi, who has prostate cancer, to be moved to Libya under a prisoner-transfer treaty between Libya and the UK. Ministers received “formal notification” last Friday that al Megrahi wants to meet Mr MacAskill, a Scottish Government spokesman confirmed yesterday.
The spokesman added: “As part of the process the justice secretary has met UK relatives, he has linked up by video conference to Eric Holder, the US attorney general and the US relatives.
“He has also received a delegation from the Libyan government and will now meet Mr al Megrahi.”
No decision on the prisoner transfer can be made by Mr McAskill while al Megrahi pursues a second appeal against his conviction for the 1988 bombing.
The government is also to seek medical advice as to whether al Megrahi is fit to leave Greenock Prison where he is being held. His lawyer, Tony Kelly, said yesterday: “My client would welcome a meeting so that he can have the opportunity to put his case to Mr MacAskill.”
Although the meeting might not need to be staged in the prison, the lawyer said his client is “ill and in some considerable discomfort”.
Mr Kelly also declined to comment on weekend reports that al Megrahi has handed over a signed document to the Libyan Government agreeing to drop the appeal against his conviction if Mr MacAskill allows him home to Libya. (...)
Lib Dem justice spokesman Robert Brown said the move was unprecedented.
He said: “Nothing like this seems to have happened in the case of the Great Train Robber or the Moors Murders, for example. I fail to see what possible purpose this visit will serve.”
Open letter:
ReplyDeleteCriminal Justice Directorate
Criminal Law an Licensing Division
Zurich, July 15. 2009
Dear Justice Secretary Mr McAskill
Please make your position clear to the victims, Abdelbaset al
Megrahi,Libya, other persons suffering financial damage (like
MEBO Ltd) and the Public.
Are you and the judges ready to accept MEBO's provable accusations against the Scottish Officials Dr Thomas Hayes, Alan Feraday (RARDE) and other persons in the Scottish Police for having falsified and manipulated decisive evidence (MST-13 timer) during the prosecution?
Or are you and the judges only interested in covering-up these
provable facts? Please give a clear statement.
Please remember, the FBI Special Agent and Task Force Chief Richard Marquise answered Gideon Levy's (VPRO) question. G.L.: Would you have a case if you wouldn't have these evidence (MST-13 timer)? R.M.: Would we have a case. It would be a very dificult case to prove. It would be a very dificult case to prove ... I don't think we would ever had an indictment.
And he said also: But I can tell you that now money was paid to any witness, any witness prior to the trial. No promise of money was made to any witness prior to the trial. G.L.: And was there paid any money after he trial? R.M.: I'm not gonna answer that...
And he said: If someone manipulated evidence, if somebody didn't invesitgate something that should have been investigated, if somebody twisted it to fit up up Megrahi, or Fimah or Libya, then that person will go to jail. I mean that sincerely, that person should be prosecuted for that.
We hope the Scottish Justice takes this fact to knowledge and goes into a faster action with a criminal charge against her officials than with the case of Mr. Abdelbaset al Megrahi...
The long overdue Scottish revision of the judgement against Abdelbased al Megrahi helps Libya to reestablish its worldwide prestige that suffered severely under the unjustverdict against Al Megrahi.
The manipulated evidence material shows clearly that Mr Megrahi and Libya have nothing to do with the Lockerbie Tragedy! Photos, documents and falsification evidence material, can be seen on our webpage URL: http://www.lockerbie.ch
Justice For Abdelbaset Al Megrahi and Libya!
Copys to Solicitor Tony Kelly, Hon.Justice Hamdi Faraj Fannoush, Mr.Saif El Islam Gaddafi, Mr.Abdulatti OBIDI, and Dr.Ibrahim Legwell Bar Association
Yours faithfully
Edwin and Mahnaz Bollier, MEBO Ltd., Switzerland