[This is the heading over a section of an article published in today's edition of The Times under the headline Ten things we learnt from Nicola Sturgeon’s memoir. It reads as follows:]
The decision to free Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, the only person convicted of the Lockerbie bombing, almost led to Sturgeon’s resignation from the government, she reveals.
In one of the biggest decisions taken by Salmond’s government, in a move of global significance, Megrahi was released and returned to Libya on compassionate grounds in August 2009.
Suffering from terminal prostate cancer, he was given a prognosis of three months to live, but survived for three years.
Sturgeon recalls bereaved constituents who lost loved ones in the attack informing her that they would see the release of Megrahi a “betrayal of their loved ones’ memories” and she says she did not support his release or transfer. [RB: Opinion polls conducted by Scottish local newspapers showed that the Scottish public supported by substantial majorities the decision to release Megrahi.]
However, she bemoans the lack of consultation with the cabinet over the issue and says she was “astounded” to learn of Kenny MacAskill, then the justice secretary, visiting the terrorist in Greenock prison. She says she later learnt of the decision to release him from Newsnight. [RB: The criticism of Kenny MacAskill's visit to Megrahi in prison is misconceived, as I commented at the time.]
After Megrahi’s releases was confirmed, Sturgeon recalls him arriving “like a conquering war hero returning from battle” in Tripoli, with some in the crowd waving saltires.
[RB: Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, who accompanied Megrahi on the plane back to Tripoli denied that he had received a hero's welcome:]
"There was not in fact any official reception for the return of Mr Megrahi, who had been convicted and imprisoned in Scotland for the 1988 Lockerbie bombing. The strong reactions to these misperceptions must not be allowed to impair the improvements in a mutually beneficial relationship between Libya and the West.
"When I arrived at the airport with Mr Megrahi, there was not a single government official present. State and foreign news media were also barred from the event. If you were watching Al Jazeera, the Arabic news network, at the time the plane landed, you would have heard its correspondent complain that he was not allowed by Libyan authorities to go to the airport to cover Mr Megrahi’s arrival.
"It is true that there were a few hundred people present. But most of them were members of Mr Megrahi’s large tribe, extended families being an important element in Libyan society. They had no official invitation, but it was hardly possible to prevent them from coming.
"Coincidentally, the day Mr Megrahi landed was also the very day of the annual Libyan Youth Day, and many participants came to the airport after seeing coverage of Mr Megrahi’s release on British television. But this was not planned. Indeed, we sat in the plane on the tarmac until the police brought the crowd to order."
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