[This is the headline over a section of a report in the Scottish edition of today's Sunday Express. It reads as follows:]
The new Libyan government will not extradite the Lockerbie bomber for a
second trial in the United States, senior officials in Malta claimed
yesterday.
Dr Tonio Borg, the Deputy Prime Minister of Malta, said he
applauded the National Transitional Council (NCT) for “standing up” to
pressure from Washington to extradite Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi.
His comments contradict recent reports that NTC information minister Mahmoud Shammam claimed Megrahi
had lost his special protection. He said: “Basically, we don’t care what happens to him."
Dr Borg, who is also a veteran
of talks with his North African neighbours, said: “Of course, if there
is an extradition request this has to be processed.
“But the possibility that this
would run counter to the double jeopardy rule is real unless the
request is based on completely new charges.”
Sources at the State
Department in Washington say talks with the NTC are ongoing and a
“formal approach” for extradition is being prepared.
Unfortunately, nothing new to alter the simple view.
ReplyDeleteWhich is of course, that in a torn-up society like Libya's Megrahi's importance as a political factor has strongly diminished. There are a million more important things to think about.
Not so in the US, especially with an election coming up.
Could you sell "Bringing the Lockerbie bomber to justice" to voters? Oh, yes.