Megrahi's death bed 'confession'

[This is the headline (which at least puts "confession" within quotation marks) over the report in today's edition of The Scotsman on Abdelbaset Megrahi's Reuters interview. It reads in part:]

The man convicted of the Lockerbie bombing has for the first time appeared to admit that he did play some role in Britain's biggest mass murder.

After more than a decade protesting his innocence, Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi said his role in the attack on Pan Am flight 103, which claimed 270 lives, had been "exaggerated". (...)

In his first public statement in more than two years, he indicated he knew more about the truth of the bombing when he said: "The facts will become clear one day, and hopefully in the near future. In a few months from now, you will see new facts that will be announced."

The remarks were seized upon by politicians in Scotland who said the former Libyan intelligence agent's comments showed he now "did not deny playing a part" in the 1988 attack.

Megrahi had previously described his conviction as a "miscarriage of justice" and described himself as an "innocent man", in a series of outright denials. (...)

In the interview, Megrahi attacked the proceedings of the trial, held in a Dutch court under Scots law, as a "farce" and branded prosecutors "liars". (...)

 He said: "The facts [about the Lockerbie bombing] will become clear one day, and hopefully in the near future. In a few months from now, you will see new facts that will be announced. The West exaggerated my name. Please leave me alone. I only have a few more days, weeks or months."

"All my work was administrative. I never harmed Libyans. I didn't harm anyone. I've never harmed anyone in my life."

Robert Black, QC, a Professor of Scots Law at the University of Edinburgh, said on a blog that part of the interview with Megrahi had not been translated correctly and that the Arabic word used translates not as "exaggerate", but as "invent, concoct, contrive, think up, manufacture, fabricate". Reuters, however, stood by its translation. [RB: This matter is easily resolved by any journalist with a measure of initiative. Was the Arabic word used by Megrahi in the sentence given in English as "The West exaggerated my name"  a form of

اخترع ? If so, is the correct translation of that word "exaggerate" as Reuters contend or "invent, concoct, contrive, think up, manufacture, fabricate" as I contend?]

Shadow justice minister Johann Lamont said Megrahi's statement that "the West exaggerated my name" was an admission of some involvement in the attack, as the interview re-opened the controversy over the SNP government's decision to release Megrahi on compassionate grounds in August 2009.

Ms Lamont insisted Megrahi "was guilty of playing a part in the bombing" and suggested he knew more than he claimed. (...)

Dr [Jim] Swire repeated his view that Megrahi had been "framed" and said that what were likely to be the Libyan's final public comments showed he was a "decent chap" who had been in the "wrong place at the wrong time".

He went on: "There's nothing to suggest that he was linked to the attack and the evidence never held water.."

SNP MSP Christine Grahame said: "He was put up as a fall guy, who perhaps was expected to get off, but didn't. He was put in a position that suited Libya and suited everybody."

[Further articles in The Scotsman based on the false premiss that Megrahi said that his role had been "exaggerated" can be read here and here.

The coverage of this issue in Scottish lawyers' magazine The Firm can be read here.]