Saturday 9 November 2013

Justice for Megrahi team meets top Maltese Government ministers

[Two days ago Justice for Megrahi’s secretary, Robert Forrester, provided to JFM members and supporters a report on his recent trip to Malta with Dr Jim Swire.  What follows is a slightly abbreviated version:]

I must request your indulgence for not having sent this update out immediately upon my return from Malta on 5 November. I have chosen to delay matters principally for two reasons. First, in order to permit Robert Black sufficient time to settle in following his annual trek from Edinburgh to Middelpos [RB: Thank you, Robert, I arrived back at my Middelpos base this morning] and secondly, to provide maximum opportunity to our Justice Secretary, Mr MacAskill, to respond to our initiative of 11 October. [RB: A suggestion that, given continuing public disquiet about the Megrahi conviction, the Justice Secretary might make an application to the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission for a reference of the case back to the appeal court.] As yet, unfortunately, I am not in possession of any response from Mr MacAskill, and am, therefore, obliged to delay any further comment on this matter. You will, of course, hear from me as soon as I obtain a reply from the Justice Directorate. [RB: A reply has today been received.  Details and commentary will be provided here in due course.]

Doubtless most of you will be aware, courtesy of the enduring spirit and stamina of Professor Black (http://lockerbiecase.blogspot.co.uk/), that Jim Swire and I have recently been entertained by the good people of Malta quite royally for the past few days. And, indeed, on both the aforementioned site and https://www.facebook.com/groups/161241207237021/, he has kept all and sundry continuously up to date on what has been a thoroughly grand and almost surreal experience.

Thanks must go, in no short measure, to the following individuals and bodies for having brought about and supported this recent visit:
1. Mr Herman Grech of The Times of Malta. Herman was quite superb in his role as majordomo of the entire event: from his directing of Kenneth Ross's play (The Lockerbie Bomber) to organising meetings with remarkable individuals.
2. Miss Ariadne Massa of The Times of Malta for her spirit.
3. Miss Caroline Muscat for simply being Miss Caroline Muscat.

Additionally, thanks are also due to: 
1. The Times of Malta
2. The 'Queen of Malta' (Mabel Strickland and the Strickland Foundation).
3. The Hotel Castille and its entire staff.
4. Prime Minister Mr Joseph Muscat.
5. Foreign Secretary Dr George Vella
6. Home Secretary Mr Manuel Mallia
7. Mr Olaf Terribile - Chief of the Maltese Civil Service).

If nothing else, this episode has been an education. One of the most enduring memories I have taken back form this excursion has been the random happenstance of having been caught out in a tropical downpour in the main Post Office on my last day. There I found myself involved in conversation with Maltese GPO staff and a police officer who looked at me in amazement having learned the reason for my being in Valletta, and as one of the staff put it: "You are still fighting? This is wonderful! After all these years! Why did Scotland do this to us? We are nothing, we are nobodies, we did not deserve this." My response? "No, you didn't deserve the George Cross. You deserved the Victoria Cross!" That's roughly how things went down in Malta from my angle.

Discussions with Messrs Muscat, Vella and Mallia were immensely informative from their respective perspectives. Mr Muscat and Dr Vella afforded us a full hour of their time together, which Dr Vella followed up with an extended lunch appointment with Mr Terribile. Indeed, on Malta's budget day, no less, the Home Secretary was also sufficiently disposed to avail us of just shy of an hour of his time. I am not in a position to reveal the content of our proposals placed before Maltese public officials at this stage. Suffice to say that the Prime Minister is actively consulting upon our behalf and that we look forward to his response.

I ought to add that, being the opportunist I am, I also recruited the entire cast of the Maltese production of The Lockerbie Bomber, along with Simon Walker (a close friend of Joyce DiMauro, victim of the 103 attack) as members of JFM whilst on the island.

There are many other experiences relating to Pan Am 103 that occurred when Jim and I were on Malta and that I could communicate to you all, but those are for another day.

For the time being, I wish simply to convey my most sincere gratitude to the people of Malta for being who they are.

3 comments:


  1. MISSION LIFE WITH LOCKERBIE, 2013 - Go to new facts on the ground.
    (google translation,german/english):

    A document from U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) was delivered to Swiss "BUPO" at Bern, after the PanAm 103 disaster:
    FBI Bomb Data Center, Special Technicians Bulletin 89-1.
    Subject: Imrovised Explosive Device (IED)-Toshiba Radio/Tape Player, Model BOMBEAT 453 - with Time Delay Capacitor - Atmospheric Pressure Switch.
    In excerpts:
    Such constructed -Toshiba Radio/Tape Recorder IED's - was found on October 27 and 28, 1988 in Frankfurt from German Federal Criminal Police, by raids in a office.

    FBI: "Arming of this IED-System begins with the placement of the antenna plug into its jack. The antenna plug has been lined with aluminium foil so that the electrical circuit will be closed. When the atmospheric pressure switch falls below 940-950 millibare, the current flows to the electronic time delay.
    After a variation of between 35 to 45 minutes *(sig.) - the time delay permits the the built-in transistor to send current to the detonator. If, during the time delay process, pressure rises above 950 millibars, the timer is turned of and slowly returns to zero".
    +++

    MEBO asks - has such a converted Toshiba radio/recorder, model BOMBEAT 453, the PanAm 103 bombed, not a supposedly found of a Toshiba radio/recorder, type RT-8016-RF ? Why the real manual has been torn to pieces as evidence ?

    MEBO asks - DCS Stuart Henderson (retired) a former Detective Chief Superintendent with the Lothian and Borders Police, replaced John Orr as the Senior Investigating Officer at the Lockerbie Incident Control Centre in 1991,
    and led the Lockerbie bombing investigation:
    "Exploded the PanAm 103 after 38 minutes *(sig.) after take off, from an "IED", with atmospheric pressure switch" ?...

    As a reminder: Witness Decky Horton, said she found part of a radio cassette manual with the word Toshiba clearly visible.
    She later gave evidence at the trial of the Libyan man accused of the terrorist attack, but the evidence bag she was shown contained several pieces of paper.
    She said: "It was in one piece when I found it but in the bag there were several pieces and the name Toshiba was only just discernable by then."
    "When I found the piece of paper it was more or less intact, a bit tatty round the edges, but it definitely had Toshiba written across it"...

    by Edwin Bollier, MEBO Ltd. Telecommunication Switzerland. Webpage: www.lockerbie.ch

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  2. MISSION LIFE WITH LOCKERBIE, 2013 -- Go on ground to new facts...
    (google translation, german/english):

    We are looking for Mr. Hassan Badri before, with ABH Company (1988) in Switzerland.
    Hassan Badri came with Ibrahim el Bishari (alcoholic) moment during a prison stay in 1987 in Tripoli, Libya in closer contact...
    Libyan External Security Organisation (ESO) director Ibrahim el-Bishari used (1988) Hassan Badri's and Abdelbaset al-Megrahi's office (company ABH) rented from MEBO Ltd., in Zurich, as an accommodation and future camouflage address !

    Hassan Badri worked closely with Col. Rifi Ali Sharif, a Libyan military officer with a prominent role in Libya's procurement effort. Col. Al- Shrif, the mentor/patron of Badri Hassan assisted effords by Badri Hassan to illegally acquire US aircraft via company ABH at Benin in 1987 and sponsored the establishment of a travel agency as a joint CSS/military procurement enterprise in Eastern Europe.
    Supported on facts show, that Badri from mid-1987 along with other important official, can be classified as opponents of Colonel Gaddafi. Almost simultaneously began a close friendship with Abdelbaset al-Megrahi. From questionable reasons went in early December 1988, after strong dispute between Badri and al-Megrahi, the friendship went into fractions...

    Company ABH Benin - ABH Tripoli Libya - and Hassan Badri private (after betrayal) were posted on the U.S. buisiness blacklist - 1987/1988 !
    Hassan Badri came by flight from the USA - via Geneva to Switzerland - and ordered in late November 1988, by MEBO Ltd., 40 pieces of MST-13 timer for the military procurement in Tripoli, Libya!
    Questions: Which "group of people" gave Badri this order for that?
    Why Badri was not arrested in USA !?

    Supported on a special meeting (1991) with Swiss ex 'BUPO' - and in addition to Swiss visas, issued between the end of 1988 to 1991 (concealed partly at the court in Kamp van Zeist) must be examined today - whether Hassan Badri had worked as an agent against Libya (in the PanAm 103 conspiracy) and worked also for the Swiss Intelligence in this case ? Documents show Badri's ABH Telex number in Zurich, was monitored by intelligence...
    More new information material in processing.

    by Edwin Bollier, MEBO Ltd. Switzerland Telecommunication. URL: www.lockerbie.ch

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  3. Herr Bollier may be interested in my article "Hear No Evil, See No Evil, Speak No Evil"
    at "The Masonic Verses" which has been updated with sight of some important source material. This article features the "Horton Manual" (or what is purported to be the Horton Manual) and its link to "PT/2" which features in page 51 of Dr Hayes notes of the 12/5/89. I hope I have demonstrated that "page 51" could not legitimately have been created before "photograph 117" was taken ten days later on the 22/5/89. 1989.

    ReplyDelete