It is sad that Abdelbaset Megrahi has felt it necessary to abandon his appeal.
The Scottish Government Justice Department has unequivocally denied that any suggestion has ever been made by any official of the Justice Department or any person acting on behalf of the Department to Megrahi or to anyone representing him or to any Libyan Government minister or official that Megrahi's prospects of being granted compassionate release were dependent upon, or would be improved by, his abandoning his current appeal.
Why, if this is true, did he decide to do it?
It may be that Mr Megrahi wished to keep open the option of prisoner transfer, or believes that this may be a more attractive proposition to the Cabinet Secretary for Justice. Prisoner transfer does require that there be no ongoing legal proceedings and could not be granted until Mr Megrahi’s appeal (and, incidentally, the Crown’s separate appeal regarding the length of the punishment part of his life sentence) had been terminated one way or another.
Or it may be that Mr Megrahi quite independently formed the view that his prospects of being released on compassionate grounds would be maximized by voluntarily abandoning his appeal, and had reached a stage where his desire to return to his homeland to die was so overwhelming that he was prepared to adopt an otherwise unpalatable course of action.
Or could there have been some “deal” between governments which involved abandonment of the appeal as one of its terms? A Libyan official quoted in The Times of Malta has recently referred to a deal or agreement. If there has been any intergovernmental agreement regarding Megrahi’s repatriation, it would be interesting to find out just what it says. But that, of course, is never likely to happen.
Interestingly, Brian Taylor, BBC Scotland's political editor, has posted a delightfully cynical commentary on his blog Blether with Brian. It starts:
'Not sure if, like me, you are a fan of the Sherlock Holmes stories penned by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
'In one, Holmes' trusty associate Dr Watson asserts that one event, following hard upon another, represents "an amazing coincidence."
'Holmes replies: "The odds are enormous against its being coincidence. No figures could express them. No, my dear Watson, the two events are connected - MUST be connected. It is for us to find the connection."
'A comparable task confronts those who are trying to understand, fully, the apparent endgame which is under way with regard to Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi, the man convicted of the Lockerbie bombing.
'Item: Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill is actively considering whether to return Megrahi to Libya, either on compassionate grounds or under a prisoner transfer scheme.
'Item: Megrahi's lawyers announce that he is seeking leave of the court to abandon his appeal against conviction, the second such appeal he has lodged.
'We are asked by the Scottish Government to accept that these two incidents are entirely unrelated.
'I refer, my honourable friend, to the reply given earlier by Mr S. Holmes of 221b Baker Street, London.'
'The proof is in the pudding' as they say.
ReplyDeleteMs Grahame has claimed that she received an e-mail intimating pressure was being applied on Megrahi to drop his appeal. The Justice department have denied any such implication. If the claim were false or e-mail source fabricated, I would expect a far more robust and vigorous rebuttal from the justice department.
Hopefully, this contention can be fully resolved and clarified as soon as possible.
Maybe if you understand Libyan politics you would know it's absolutely essential that Megrahi is released before 1 September.
ReplyDeleteNo doubt the UK government know this and applied pressure telling Megrahi/the Libyan government that as Megrahi wasn't on his deathbed compassionate leave couldn't be granted quite yet.
For Megrahi to miss celebrating his last Ramadan would be just too painful to imagine. Ramadan isn't just a period of fasting but a hugely important time when families get together in the evening to celebrate breaking the fast.
Knowing how evil and manipulative the UK government is I believe this is why Megrahi has abandoned his appeal.
So Mr Megrahi abandons his appeal next Tuesday: does this guarantee his repatriation in time for Ramadan?
ReplyDeleteAnd if Mr MacAskill (under pressure from the US government) decides neither to invoke the Prisoner Transfer Agreement nor to grant compassionate release, what then?
'Perfidious Albion' springs to mind!
MISSION LOCKERBIE:
ReplyDeleteThe news are joyful: Wrongly convicted and severely ill Mr Abdelbaset Al Megrahi is free and will hopefully recover soon from his cancer in the prospect of beeing with his beloved family.
On the other hand it is sad for him and immoral and sneaky from the the Scottish Justiciary to abuse the dropping of his appeal which - would have cleared his name - for further media spectacle: His release by the Scottish Justice will evoque protests round the world with negative commentaries for Mr Megrahi and Libya !
The Scottish Justiciary has the duty not only opposite Libya and its officials but also opposite the bereaved of the victims to admit the truth that Mr Megrahi and Libya were not envolved in the Lockerbie atrocity.
The world public can only hope that Libya's leader Mr Moammar El Gaddafi, also Chairman of the African Union (AU) will in his speech on the opening day of the annual session on September 23, 2009 at the UN in New York clarify the facts and push for an international UN investigation ! New evidence - as the affidavit of Eng. Lumpert - will clearly prove that Libya and Mr Megrahi were framed.
UK Experts Dr. Hayes und Allen Feraday (both from RARDE) and other known officers of the Scottish Police were actively involved in the conspiracy against Libya by manipulating crucial evidence and still enjoy protection by the Sottish Justiciary. (These officers have nothing to do with the bombing itself but they were the key players for the wrong accusations against Libya).
By the way, Mr. Megrahi still have, until Tuesday 18 August ' 09 for its freedom, 3 possibilities open at the High Court in Edinburgh:
1) The USA Government forbids Scotland the release Mr. Megrahi, without new Appeal revision;
2.) Mr. Megrahi is pardoned officially by the Crown, because of its illness and is thus a free man and the Appeal can continues;
3.) Mr. Megrahi under pressure from the the Scottish Justiciary received the offer to dropping of his appeal and can return to its family at Libya!
"The trial before was far from fair and proper".
More infos on: http://www.lockerbie.ch
by Edwin and Mahnaz Bollier, MEBO Ltd., Switzerland