Justice for the Lockerbie victims

August 10th, 2009  

Anyone driving along Old Inverkip Road last Wednesday morning past the home of Scotland’s most notorious inmate would probably have been unaware of the momentous event taking place inside.

But make no mistake, the extraordinary meeting between Kenny MacAskill and the Lockerbie bomber al-Megrahi broke with convention and has horrified the legal establishment and the families of the victims.

It seems very wrong to me that a man convicted of the mass murder of 270 men, women and children has been conferred such special treatment.

The Lockerbie case has attracted many conspiracy theories from people who believe Megrahi should walk free despite being found guilty in a court of law.

Rather than politicians and commentators, I believe these matters should be decided by the courts.

But in the absence of any clarity on why Megrahi was afforded this personal audience and what they actually spoke about, I will indulge in a few conspiracy theories of my own.

Has a deal been done that would allow those in the legal establishment to save face and allow Megrahi safe passage back to Libya and a hero’s reception?

Mr MacAskill, a lawyer by trade, must have known what the repercussions this visit would have, so what pressures were heaped on him?

What advice did he receive from the Lord Advocate Elish Angiolini, who knows only too well what a precarious stage his ongoing appeal was at and the damage it could do the reputation of the Scottish legal system?

We know the First Minister rarely lets anything pass without his say, what was his views on the visit, particularly as he prepares to travel to Qatar next year in an attempt to win investment from the oil-rich states in the Middle East?

What influence did the backbenchers have, those who are so keen to make political gains from the anti-American feeling that surrounds this case?

This avoidable fiasco, organised during parliamentary recess and not able to be subjected to the usual scrutiny, has left the Scottish Government open to these accusations.

Now only full disclosure of what was said at this highly irregular meeting will allow us to rule out political or commercial pressures coming before justice for the victims of Pan Am Flight 103.