The Truth Will Out

My mother was a great believer in the adage that the truth will always come out in the end. The events of the past few weeks surrounding the release of the Lockerbie bomber and the many accusations over trading of one prisoner for the right to drill for oil have finally brought the truth to the surface.

Jack Straw has effectively admitted there was a link between a trade agreement between Libya and the UK, and an agreement on prisoner exchange arrangements. If that was not sufficient controversy we are also told no attempt was made to follow the American example and get compensation for the Irish injured by bombs made with explosives provided by Libya. It was deemed too risky a subject to raise and could have jeopardised the trade talks.

The rehabilitation of Libya has been at a great cost to the reputation of the country and the government. Colonel Gaddafi must be smiling at the thought he got exactly what he wanted while making one of the world’s leaders look a complete fool.

Guilty By Circumstance, Er, Not This Time

Its interesting to see Jack Straw , the Justice Secretary, wriggling like a worm on a hook as he tries to convince a very sceptical public that there was no link between the release of the Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi and trade deals with the Libyan Government. In letters leaked to the press its clear negotiations over prisoner exchange protocols between the UK and Libya were adjusted to help trade negotiations.

The fact these happened two years ago do make the link to recent events very tenuous, but then the case against Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi was equally tenuous. He was convicted on circumstantial evidence and prosecution claims were never explained or proved. How the case containing the bomb got on the plane in Malta for a start. It was just accepted by the three Judges as fact, without any proof.

Trying to defend oneself against circumstantial evidence is impossible unless one can provide an indisputable alibi. Unfortunately Jack Straw has no such alibi and therefore will be considered as guilty of collusion by default. Fortunately it will not result in his loss of liberty unlike the misfortunate Lockerbie bomber.

Was Justice Served?

Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi is the only person found guilty of planting the bomb on the plane that exploded and crashed on to the town of Lockerbie. The trial, that took place in Holland in front of three judges has attracted critics and defenders ever since the guilty verdict was announced. Abdelbaset is now suffering from terminal cancer and may be let free to return to Libya on compassionate grounds.

Such a suggestion has created a divide between those who agree and those who wish to see him die in gaol wider than the Atlantic Ocean that divides them. Most of those killed were Americans and most Americans want to see him rot, its a part of their grieving process. However, there are a few who think Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi is innocent, they include the father of one of the Scottish victims who was killed when the wreckage of the plane hit the ground.

The one factor that supports his view is the improbable fact that at a time of heightened security the bomb was put on board the plane in Malta and went undetected in Germany and London where the plane landed before heading off to cross the Atlantic. There was also a break-in through the perimeter fence at Heathrow airport the evening the plane passed through and the last stop before the bomb exploded. There are other inconsistencies that have convinced many people that guilty verdict was unsound. An appeal against the conviction is ongoing but unlikely to be concluded before Adbelbaset dies, release on compassionate grounds may not right a judicial wrong but at least he can die among his family.