Thursday 1 December 2011

Criminal Cases (Punishment and Review) (Scotland) Bill

This Bill, Part 2 of which relates to the terms upon which the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission can release information in cases where it has referred a case to the High Court of Justiciary but the resulting appeal has been abandoned, was introduced into the Scottish Parliament on 30 November 2011 and published on the Parliament's website this morning.  The Bill can be read here, the relevant provisions to be found in sections 3 and 4.

The Bill is accompanied by a policy memorandum.  The portions of this document that relate to SCCRC disclosure are paragraphs 4, 50 to 59, 62 to 65, 67 and 74 to 77.  Also published are explanatory notes relating to the Bill.  The relevant portions of this document are paragraphs 4, 18 to 45 and 52 to 61.

As I anticipated here and here when such a Bill was announced in the Scottish Government's Programme for Government 2011-2012, the provisions of the Bill relating to SCCRC disclosure are a complete waste of Parliamentary time. The conditions attached to release of information are so restrictive that no useful information relating to the Megrahi case will be forthcoming. Parturient montes, nascetur ridiculus mus.

The Scottish Government's press release on the Bill can be read here and the BBC News report based on it here.  Scottish lawyers' magazine The Firm has this afternoon published on its website a news item headlined “Restrictive” Megrahi Bill “a complete waste of Parliamentary time”.

2 comments:

  1. I have removed a comment because it does not relate to the Lockerbie case.

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  2. MISSION LOCKERBIE, 2011. Doc. nr.7074.rtf. (google translation, german/english):
    Brings the criminal charge complaint of MEBO Ltd light into the "Lockerbie-Affair" ?...

    Since 15th of November 2011, MEBO Ltd lead a criminal charge in connection with an action for damages complaint at the Swiss Federal Prosecutor's Office, against federal officials.
    The offenses are based on the affidavit (18 July, 2007) from ex MEBO engineer Ulrich Lumpert in paragraph 2 and 4.

    Paragraph 2) >: These statements recorded by me were not correct!
    I confirm today on 18th July 2007 that I stole the third handmanufactured
    MST-13 Timer PC-Board consisting of 8 layers of fiberglass from MEBO Ltd. and gave it without permission on *22nd June 1989 to a person officially-investigating in the "Lockerbie case".

    Paragraph 4) >: In addition I have handed over without permission a summary of the production films, hand-stuck templates and the blueprints of the MST-13 Timer production in a yellow evelope to Det. Superintendent James Gilchrist, Scottish Police during a *visit to Zurich in June 1991.
    (* according to Mebo: without the necessary sanction of the Swiss law enforcement).

    Such prototypes of MST-13 timers were not delivered to Libya, therefore Libya can not be associated with the bombing of Pan Am 103 !
    The libyan official Abdelbaset Al Megrahi have to do nothing in the Lockerbie-Tragedy ! Abdelbaset Al Megrahi is innocent. Justice for Al Megrahi.

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

    ReplyDelete