Lockerbie: Fact and Fiction

[Dr Morag Kerr’s overview of the Lockerbie case has now been published as a booklet with the title Lockerbie: Fact and Fiction.  The booklet can be read online here.  A copy has already been delivered to every Member of the Scottish Parliament and further distribution is in hand.  A covering letter written by Justice for Megrahi’s secretary, Robert Forrester, reads as follows:]

As it seared itself into the collective consciousness of all Scots, the destruction of Pan Am 103 above Lockerbie on 21st December 1988 left in its wake not just a host of devastated bereaved families and friends of the 270 victims, but also a number of unanswered questions.

Unfortunately, the subsequent investigation and legal process which resulted in the conviction of Abdelbaset al-Megrahi have compounded the issue rather than provided any resolution. Some very serious question marks now hang over the investigation, the conduct of the casand the conviction. These relate to non-disclosure by the Crown of material evidence; thpayment by the US authorities to witnesses; possible planting of evidence crucial to the conviction; flawed forensic evidence and suspect identification procedures.

Justice for Megrahi has therefore produced the enclosed booklet, Lockerbie: Fact and Fiction, in the hope that it will act as a primer or synopsis of the case which will both inform by exploring some of the basic questions surrounding it and in turn inspire the reader on to studying Lockerbie/Zeist in greater depth.

We have attempted to present the facts as we know and understand them. We hope that you will find it informative and that it will assist you in appreciating why we, like the SCCRC, believe that Mr al-Megrahi may well have suffered a miscarriage of justice and why we are campaigning for an independent inquiry into the case. We believe that our criminal justice system has suffered as a result of Mr al-Megrahi's conviction and that the time has come to set the record straight.

In our campaign we have the support of many world-renowned figures, academics, prominent journalists and people from all walks of life, including the Law Faculties of the Scottish Universities, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, MPs, MSPs, and leading members of the Bar.