5 May 2009

Britain's government ratified a prisoner transfer deal with Libya Wednesday that could allow the innocent Libyan citizen who was unfairly convicted of the Lockerbie bombing come back home soon.

The deal, signed in November, would allow Abdel Basset Ali al-Megrahi, 57, to apply to be transferred to Libya, the British Foreign Office said.

But it seems that in order not to expose the Scottish judicial system and its grave misdeed by committing a clear miscarriage of justice in the trial, Al-Megrahi is being pressured to agree to drop the appeal against his conviction before being eligible for transfer.

Scottish government officials along with other stakeholders who have to approve the move are still holding out.

Al-Megrahi has repeatedly vowed to clear his name and he is now facing the choice between dropping the appeal, which the rotten Scottish judicial system could very well tamper with as it did with the case ten years ago, or to take up the opportunity.

Al-Megrahi is reported to be terminally ill with prostate cancer and has only just begun appealing his conviction in the Lockerbie case, a process expected to last a year.

Al-Megrahi case was referred back for a fresh appeal in June 2007 because it "may be a miscarriage of justice", while his relatives and campaigners are concerned that he will not survive the appeal partly because the court will be sitting for only four days a week on alternate months.

His request for interim bail was last year turned down by three appeal court judges.

According to The Herald, the decision on Al-Megrahi's transfer would ultimately rest with the Scottish Government and there have been indications in recent months that

governments on both sides of the border are preparing for the transfer.

In a tacit acknowledgment that Al-Megrahi is likely to be allowed to return home, the Crown Office wrote to all relatives of the victims two weeks ago explaining the transfer process.

A Ministry of Justice spokeswoman said:
“The prisoner transfer agreement between the UK and Libya was laid before Parliament on January 27. The Instruments of Ratification have been exchanged and the agreement is now in force.

"In the case of prisoners in Scottish jails, including Megrahi, and respecting the devolution settlement, any decision to transfer under this agreement would be for Scottish ministers and Scottish ministers alone," as quoted by The Herald on 30 April 2009.

The transfer deal was one of four co-operation agreements signed by the director of legal affairs at the Libyan Foreign Ministry and the British ambassador to Tripoli.

"These agreements open the way for ... judicial authorities in both countries to co-operate in the field of exchange of wanted suspects, transfer of prisoners, and carrying out judicial decisions," said the official.