Megrahi Lockerbie Bomber To Reveal Evidence Proving His Innocence

by Yuliya Talmazan | August 25, 2009 at 11:34 am

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The Lockerbie Bomber Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al-Megrahi released on "compassion grounds" by the government of Scotland vowed to present evidence that will prove that he is innocent of the bombing that killed 259 people on board of the Pan Am Flight 103 and eleven residents of Lockerbie, Scotland, in 1988. The evidence is expected to be listed in Al-Megrahi's autobiography that he is currently working on. Al-Megrahi is terminally ill with prostate cancer, but he wants to clear his name before he dies in his native Libya. Through his lawyer, Al-Megrahi has already expressed his sympathy for the families of the victims. He says he does not know who was responsible for the bombing.

Al-Megrahi had been planning his book long before his release from prison was approved.

Evidence used in Al-Megrahi's case

Al-Megrahi was the only person implicated with the Pan Am Flight 103 bombing. The trial began 11 years after the bombing.

Two Libyans, Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi and Al Amin Khalifa Fhimah, were accused of the crime. In the run-up to the trial, the prosecution considered bringing charges against Swiss businessman, Edwin Bollier, of the electronics firm Mebo AG, but decided that, unless evidence to incriminate Bollier were to be introduced during the trial, he would not be included as a co-conspirator in causing the bombing.

Libya made three stipulations, when agreeing to hand over the two accused to the Scottish police: that they would not be interviewed by the police; no one else in Libya would be sought for the bombing; and, that the trial should be before three Scottish judges, sitting without a jury.

Five prosecutors were assigned for the trial. One of them had issues with the evidence presented against Al-Megrahi in court.

Five years after the trial, former Lord Advocate, Lord Fraser, who issued the arrest warrants in 1991, was alleged to have said that he was not entirely happy with the evidence presented against Megrahi during his trial in 2000, and in his subsequent appeal in 2002. However, he made it clear that this did not mean that he believed Megrahi to be innocent. According to The Sunday Times of 23 October 2005, Lord Fraser allegedly cast doubt upon the reliability of the main prosecution witness, Tony Gauci.[9]

It took 36 weeks to reach the verdict. The statement from the judges read: "there is nothing in the evidence which leaves us with any reasonable doubt as to the guilt of the first accused (i.e. Al-Megrahi), and accordingly we find him guilty of the remaining charge in the indictment as amended." The second accused Al Amin Khalifa Fhimah was found not guilty.

Boycott Scotland

Al-Megrahi's release has caused massive outrage in the United States. An ongoing online petition was started to boycott the use of Scotland's and UK's products and services.