Father of Lockerbie bombing victim says Gaddafi's son must stand trial

[This is the headline over a report published in today's edition of the Sunday Mail (not to be confused with the Mail on Sunday). It reads in part:]

Lockerbie campaigner Jim Swire has called for the son of dead tyrant Colonel Gaddafi to be put on trial to finally reveal the truth about the 1988 atrocity.

Dr Swire, whose daughter Flora was killed in the bombing, believes the dictator’s favourite son will know who was responsible.

In an exclusive interview, he said he feared that documents about Lockerbie being released from Libya could be faked by the CIA. 

He also revealed how he tried to help save the life of Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, who he doesn’t believe is responsible for the bombing.

Mahmud Nacua, charge d’affaires at the Libyan embassy in London, has promised the new regime will offer full disclosure to the Lockerbie families.

He said all files relating to Lockerbie and Gaddafi’s other crimes would be released.

But Dr Swire said: “I believe we should treat material coming out of Libya just now with great caution. There is a lot of material coming out, but all of it is a little suspect.

“There is an awful lot of people trying to settle scores with Gaddafi. Tripoli is a very dangerous place at the moment, with a lot of people looking someone to get even with, most of them brandishing Kalashnikovs.

“We should be careful about stories coming from Libya just now, even if it is from the Libyan ambassador in London.” (...)

But Dr Swire believes [Megrahi] is innocent and that Iran bombed the jet as revenge for the shooting down of an Iranair flight by a US missile five months earlier.

He said: “The CIA want the story about Libya being responsible for Lockerbie to remain valid in the public’s mind.

“They are perfectly capable of planting documents in Libya, or anywhere else they want to, and making them look authentic. Any documents that come out of that area will have to be vetted to see if they are genuine or not.”

Gaddafi’s favourite son Saif al-Islam, 39, is reported to be fighting for life in hospital after being critically injured during an RAF bombing raid.(...)

Dr Swire said Saif should be tried by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity if he recovers.

Dr Swire said: “I don’t know how, if at all, Gaddafi was involved in the Lockerbie disaster. I am satisfied his man Megrahi had no involvement.

“But some people tell me Gaddafi paid for the Lockerbie bombing. Others have told me he wasn’t involved.

“The way to go would be to get Saif out of Libya and for him to appear before the International Criminal Court.

“Saif knew everything his father was up to. He could, if he wished to, spill the beans about any part his father played in Lockerbie.

“I find it easy to be fond of Libyans, but I don’t think the world would believe a trial in Libya, particularly in its present demoralised and chaotic state, would be a fair one for anyone arraigned over the question of Lockerbie.” (...)

Leading human rights lawyer Gareth Peirce, who represented the Guildford Four and Birmingham Six, is trying to have Megrahi’s conviction overturned and get a full public inquiry held.

Dr Swire said she has received copies of documents from Libya, passed to her by Human Rights Watch.

Dr Swire said: “She has a stack of paper about eight inches deep and she and her firm will be wading through them.”

[An article by Dr Franklin Lamb on steps being taken to secure that Saif-al Islam Gaddafi survives to stand trial and does not suffer the same fate as his father can be read here.]