Dying Lockerbie bomber denied bail

The Libyan man imprisoned for the Lockerbie bombing has been refused bail, despite having incurable and fatal cancer.

Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi, 56, was convicted in 2001 for the hijacking and bombing of Pan Am flight 103 which killed 270 people in 1988. He appealed for bail earlier this year after his supporters claimed he had only months to live.

But Scotland’s highest judge Lord Hamilton denied the appeal, stating that his condition was not in its life threatening stages, and that his life could be prolonged by palliative hormone treatment.

Mr Megrahi said: "I am very distressed that the court has refused to grant me bail and denied me the chance to spend my remaining time with my family.

"I wish to reiterate that I had nothing whatsoever to do with the Lockerbie bombing and that the fight for justice will continue, regardless of whether I am alive to witness my name being cleared."

Mr Megrahi’s conviction has been marred by controversy since a ruling last year by the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission (SCCRC) suggested that the key witness in the case, Tony Gauci, was unreliable.

Other evidence collated by the SCCRC found a secret foreign agency file that cast doubt on previous evidence about the timer used in the bombing.

It is also claimed that Maltese shop owner Mr Gauci was paid a $2 million witness reward by the US, casting further doubts on his evidence.

On Thursday 4 September, the Arab League Ministerial Council, of which 22 Arab states are members, called for the release of Megrahi and stated that a refusal to do so would constitute a "miscarriage of justice".

Lord Hamilton’s refusal to grant Megrahi bail this month following two appeals and the SCCRC report, makes it unlikely that any further appeals will be successful.

However an interim liberation, the Scottish equivalent of bail, may be possible, despite the "grave nature" of the crime if Megrahi’s condition worsens dramatically.

Megrahi’s advocate, Maggie Scott QC said there were "compelling" factors that may validate his release.

Lockerbie campaigners Professor Robert Black, a legal expert on the Lockerbie case and Dr Jim Swire, whose daughter was killed in the bombing, said they were disappointed that Megrahi had been refused interim liberation.

Dr Swire said: "It seems tragic that Scottish justice has missed a golden opportunity to display mercy in a situation where it has been unable to complete the appeal process within a reasonable time frame."