THE SCOTTISH government said yesterday it would decide soon whether to release a former Libyan agent convicted of the Lockerbie bombing, prompting an angry reaction from some relatives of the victims.
Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi was convicted under Scottish law in 2001 and sentenced to life for blowing up a US-bound Pan Am airliner in 1988, killing 270 people.
He has always denied involvement in the bombing and is appealing for the second time against his conviction.
The Scottish government insisted no decision had yet been taken to free Megrahi, who has terminal prostate cancer. But officials said a decision was expected this month from Kenny MacAskill, Scotland’s justice minister, who last week took the unusual step of visiting Mr Megrahi in prison.
The visit fuelled speculation that the Libyan, who is serving a life sentence with a minimum term of 27 years, could go free on compassionate grounds as early as next week.
Libya accepted responsibility and agreed to pay about $2.7 billion (€1.8 billion) in compensation to the victims’ families in 2003 – a move that helped clear the way for the lifting of sanctions and the restoration of Libya’s ties with western states.
Susan Cohen, whose daughter Theodora was one of 35 Syracuse University students on Pan Am flight 103, said any suggestion that Megrahi should be freed on compassionate grounds was “vile’’.
But the mood among some British relatives was different. Jim Swire, who lost his daughter Flora in the bombing, said he did not believe Meghrahi was guilty, adding: “The sooner he is back with his family the better.”
Securing Megrahi’s release has been a long-standing desire of Muammar Gadafy, Libya’s leader. The issue was important during negotiations over a prisoner transfer agreement between the UK and Libya that was signed in 2008.
“It’s significant because Gadafy has staked some prestige on getting him released and because he is a respected figure with a tribal background – he’s not a nobody,” said Oliver Miles, a former British ambassador to Libya.
He questioned whether a deal was negotiated to secure Megrahi’s release. There was a possibility that the Libyan government was seeking to put pressure on British business interests in the oil-rich north African state, he said, including BP’s $900m gas exploration deal, which former prime minister Tony Blair helped to arrange.
“There are a lot of unanswered questions,” said Mr Miles. – (Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009)