Lockerbie: Another Twist to Another America Scandal

In December 2010, U.S. embassy cables relating to the release of al Megrahi, were made public by WikiLeaks that showed another twist to the events surrounding the release of the so-called Libyan bomber. A Financial Times article (December 8, 2010), titled, "Libya Pressed UK over Lockerbie Bomber—Prisoner Release," stated:

Libya threatened "harsh and immediate" consequences against UK commercial interests and the welfare of British diplomats if the Lockerbie bomber died in prison, according to leaked US diplomatic cables. The batch of papers published by WikiLeaks sheds light on the highly controversial release of Abdel Basset al-Megrahi from a Scottish prison last year, a decision that placed heavy strain on Britain's relations with the US.

"The consequences for the UK-Libya bilateral relationship would be 'dire' were al-Megrahi to die in Scottish prison," reported Gene Cretz, US ambassador to Libya, in a January 2009 cable, six months before Mr. Megrahi's release.

"Specific threats have included the immediate cessation of all UK commercial activity in Libya, a diminishment or severing of political ties and demonstrations against official UK facilities."

Mr. Cretz, based on his conversations with British diplomats, went on to allege Libyan officials "also implied, but did not directly state, the welfare of UK diplomats and citizens in Libya would be at risk." He added: "Consequences if al-Megrahi were to die in prison ... would be harsh, immediate and not easily remedied.

British officials insisted at the time that Mr. Megrahi was months away from dying from prostate cancer and that the Scottish executive, acting independently, released him on compassionate grounds.

A US diplomat in Tripoli noted: "Rumours that [Tony] Blair made linkages between Megrahi's release and trade deals have been long-standing among embassy contacts ... the UK ambassador in Tripoli categorically denied the claims."

Alex Salmond, Scottish first minister, told a US diplomat he "played straight ... but implied the UK had not." He added that Libya "offered the Scottish government a parade of treats, 'all of which were turned down.'"

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The real story, the ugly and series of tragic events, is at www.defraudingamerica.com/lockerbie_index.html. This additional twist to the Lockerbie saga did not change the status of the corrupt shifting of blame from the actual guilty parties to the innocents; the corruption in the prosecution and judicial process; or the continuation of the culture within the ranks of the Department of Justice and the catastrophic consequences for the United States. Nor does it change the fact that Megrahi had to be released in order to get him to cancel the appeal that would have revealed the combination of multi-national corruption with the world's greatest terrorist-caused aviation disaster at that time.