Act on petition to Holyrood calling for inquiry into Megrahi conviction

[This is the heading over a letter from Colin Chilton in today's edition of The Herald.  It reads as follows:]

It is imperative that the Justice Committee at Holyrood not only considers but acts upon the petition calling for an inquiry into the conviction of Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al Megrahi ("Lockerbie relatives hail MSPs' decisions" The Herald, June 29).

This was arguably the biggest trial in Scottish legal history, not only due to the magnitude of the charges against the defendants but also considering its unique setting at Camp Zeist. Surely in such a case as big as this it is vital to ensure that justice was served? If a full inquiry can be conducted, whether it is done domestically or internationally through the United Nations, then it will go a long way to not only finding out the real truth about what happened in terms of the bombing but also whether Megrahi's conviction was safe and proven beyond all reason doubt.

The credibility of the evidence from the star witness Tony Gauci can certainly be called into question. Not only was his original description of Megrahi inaccurate, he couldn't identify him in the courtroom without prompting. Imagine that had happened in a Scottish courtroom in a less high profile case? Would his credibility as a witness be enhanced or be taken seriously?

This is a question of justice not only for the families of the bombing, but also for a dying man, possibly wrongly convicted of a heinous crime he may not have committed. It is vital that the whole truth about the Lockerbie case is told, although I hold out little hope of that, given the implications it would have.