Friday, July 23, 2010

Row over Lockerbie bomber’s release & Ministerial attendance to Washington hearings leave questions over trial & justice in the shadows

Scottish GovernmentThe Scottish Government refused invite to senate investigation. THE SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT have, as we all now know, refused an invitation to attend a US Senate investigation of Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill’s decision to release Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi, who was tried & convicted under Scots Law of the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland in December 1988. Mr Megrahi was diagnosed with terminal prostate cancer, and allegedly given three months to live after his release in August 2009.

While there is considerable furore on Scottish Minister’s refusal to attend the US investigation into the release of Mr Al-Megrahi, it shouldn’t come as much surprise that Ministers of State of one nation refuse to be questioned on live television over their own decisions by politicians of another nation’s elected assembly, no matter what the case at hand is. Would any other Scottish Government have done different ? I think not .. but then again, perhaps any other Scottish Government may not have released Mr Megrahi … or would they ?

However, while the Scottish Government say they will not attend the Washington Senate investigation, the Scottish Parliament could send over a team, as Holyrood has already investigated the Justice Secretary’s decision to release Mr Al-Megrahi.

To this end, Bill Aitken, the Convener of the Scottish Parliament’s Justice Committee for one, could travel across to the US and give testimony over the Justice Committee’s investigation into the release of Mr Al-Megrahi. Another MSP, Christine Grahame, who has questioned the validity of Mr Al-Megrahi’s conviction and the evidence it was based on, could also follow across the Atlantic to give her public account of issues she believes must be ‘put right’.

Viewers in the UK may be familiar with BBC Newsnight Scotland, who ran one of the most informative reports on the recent row over the release of Mr Al-Megrahi, and highlighted issues surrounding the actual conviction & trial, earlier this week. You can watch that show if you are in the UK, by clicking on the image below.

BBC Newsnight Scotland’s Wednesday 21 July 2010 report on the Lockerbie case (click on image to view video)

BBC Newsnight Scotland cap

The Scottish Government have made two media releases this week, reporting a letter from Alex Salmond to US Senator John Kerry and an offer to answer any more questions which senators may ask

Readers can visit the Scottish Government’s information on the Lockerbie bomber’s release here : Lockerbie - Information relating to decision on Mr Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al-Megrahi

Missing from all of the public arguments between politicians over the decision to release Mr Al-Megrahi however, is the question over the way in which the Lockerbie Trial was conducted, and the safety of Mr Al-Megrahi’s conviction, which was due to be tested in an appeal, backed up by the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission, which was as we all know, suddenly dropped by Mr Al-Megrahi, and apparently to the great relief of the Scottish legal establishment, thus enabling Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill to decide swiftly on Mr Megrahi’s release, apparently ensuring no further repercussions which may have resulted in the Scots Justice system being made to look even more corrupt than it actually is, if indeed such a conclusion is possible these days …

Of course, while Mr Salmond & Mr MacAskill wont go to Washington, this shouldn’t prevent us having our own independent inquiry to establish the true facts of the Lockerbie trial because make no mistake, Scots deserve an inquiry into the Lockerbie case to establish just how honest the investigation & trial actually was, given the many questions over the evidence, testimony and how the conviction of Mr Al-Megrahi was arrived at by a jury-less Scottish courtroom set up at Camp Zeist in the Netherlands.

The only problems we have to overcome for such a project, would be finding someone independent enough to chair it, and of course, trying to reach an independent, fully transparent unqualified conclusion which honestly, I don't think any UK or Scottish public enquiry ever in existence has ever managed to do in any matter being investigated to the present day … especially when it comes to issues of justice …

There is little on the subject I can write more than what has already been covered by the mass media, and Scottish Law Reporter in their coverage of the Lockerbie case, here : The Lockerbie Trial

21 comments:

Anonymous said...

A fair point.

Rent a quote Aitken should put up or shut up along with the rest of the torags calling on MacAskill to be grilled in dc.

Anonymous said...

Oh you can rest assured the Scottish Parliament will send NO ONE to Washington to explain their own inquiry.

Good idea though!

Anonymous said...

If Labour had still been in power in Scotland they would have been ordered by their London colleagues to release Megrahi and we would have heard nothing about the deal in the desert or anything else.

Does anyone think for one minute if this had happened McConnell or anyone else would have attended the American hearings ?

ABSOLUTELY NOT ONE BLOODY CHANCE and the same goes for if the TORIES were ever in the Scottish Government (GOD HELP SCOTLAND IF THIS EVER HAPPENS)

Anonymous said...

Exactly!
Why dont we have our inquiry and the senators can come over hear instead of grandstanding on their own turf!

Anonymous said...

I am convinced Mr al-Megrahi is innocent, he is Lockerbie's Lee Harvey Oswald.

Anonymous said...

Dr Swire is spot on in that interview and I agree we probably cant manage any decent inquiry over here but I also wouldn't trust the American Senate's attempts as theirs will be as politically motivated as ours would be.

Anonymous said...

Mr al-Megrahi is innocent, he was released to save the skins of the investigators and judiciary.

Typical Scottish justice.

Anonymous said...

Well according to the news no one from the UK who has been invited is going to attend so I dont see why everyone should just focus on blaming Kenny Macaskill

Also have to laugh at Tony Blair being exempt for some reason so really whats the point of having any investigation if the top man ie the Prime Minister at the time wont be called to give evidence ?

Anonymous said...

I hear what you are saying but from the American's point of view it looks like MacAskill has plenty to hide and without doubt since Megrahi is still alive the 3 month life span and the sentence from a higher power sounds pretty hollow now wouldn't you agree ?

Scotland may be full of crooked lawyers and crooked judges and crooked politicians but saying a guy has 3 months to live and here we are a year on leaves plenty of questions doesn't it ?

Anonymous said...

No Peter the Scottish Parliament have just as much to hide also they did nothing about the SHOW TRIAL under Scottish Law of Megrahi.

Scottish Law is rotten all round and no one in power wants to give real answers or justice to anyone.

Anonymous said...

It would be fun watching Grahame & McBride arguing the toss in front of the american tv cameras !

Anonymous said...

I think Dr Koechler is correct that political considerations convicted Mr al-Megrahi and he was not defended professionally.

See http://www.i-p-o.org/koechler-lockerbie-statement-aug2003.htm

Politics and ecomomics of the national interests of Libya, the UK and the USA were more important than criminal responsibility.

Anonymous said...

MacAskill's footnote in history : Setting free a convicted terrorist and preventing booze from being sold before 10am!

Anonymous said...

Very revealing, everyone passing the buck as fast as they can, and all with something to hide.

Anonymous said...

What's the problem?

There is no need to testify under oath before enquiries in the UK or as far as I understand in the States. So, business as usual.

Anonymous said...

I realise you are writing on the Scottish justice system but after seeing the news & video of the Police who killed Ian Tomlinson I think the whole UK justice system is geared against the people

What kind of a country is Britain when someone who at least should have been charged with manslaughter was caught on video committing the crime yet no charges just because he's a cop while I bet if it was an ordinary person or one of the protestors at the G20 caught doing it they would have been charged with murder and probably found guilty by now

Also the Prime Minister Cameron who voiced protests about the memories on facebook to Raol Moat so where is Cameron now and what does he have to say about the cop who gets off with a killing on video ?

SILENCE OF COURSE AND NO CONDEMNATION FROM PM CAMERON

Anonymous said...

http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/politics/lockerbie-the-missing-pieces-1.1043526

worth reading

Anonymous said...

Very good Peter although I doubt we will ever hear the truth of who really blew up the Pan Am 747 - too much politics at play and way too much for all those involved to lose,especially your Scottish judiciary!

Anonymous said...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-10783710

Now I read the hearings have been cancelled because no British politicians would attend!

COVER UP COVER UP!

Anonymous said...

Salmond is a fraudster with little, if any intelligence. He can't go because he might say something wrong

Anonymous said...

What kind of a country is Britain when someone who at least should have been charged with manslaughter was caught on video committing the crime yet no charges just because he's a cop while I bet if it was an ordinary person or one of the protestors at the G20 caught doing it they would have been charged with murder and probably found guilty by now.

BLAIR PEACH WAS MURDERED TOO.