Lockerbie bomber publishes 'innocence dossier'
US Senate hearings on whether BP influenced Lockerbie bomber decision postponed
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By inthenews. |  |
Saturday, 19, Sep 2009 10:18
By Alistair Potter.
Abdel Basset al-Megrahi has published a dossier of evidence that he believes is proof of his innocence over the Lockerbie bombing.
Megrahi, who was released by the Scottish parliament last month, was found guilty of causing the worst terrorist attack on British soil that killed 270 people on board a jet passing over Scotland in 1988.
However, the Libyan national - now back in his home country after eight years of incarceration in the UK - has released papers that show the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission (SCCRC) sent Megrahi's case back to the court of appeal in 2007.
The SCCRC is said to have raised doubts over the evidence provided by shopkeeper Tony Gauci, who testified that Megrahi bought clothes from his establishment in Malta that were later used in the suitcase bomb that exploded on board the flight from Frankfurt.
However, the appeal was processed after it emerged Scottish police and the American FBI had noticed apparent inconsistencies in Gauci's evidence, which could have meant the clothes he identified as being bought by Megrahi could well have been purchased in November 1988 - when the Libyan was not in Malta.
A statement released by Megrahi's solicitors on his behalf said: "I have returned to Tripoli with my unjust conviction still in place.
"As a result of the abandonment of my appeal I have been deprived of the opportunity to clear my name through the formal appeal process. I have vowed to continue my attempts to clear my name.
"I will do everything in my power to persuade the public, and in particular the Scottish public, of my innocence."
Megrahi was released on compassionate grounds in August to return to his home country after being diagnosed with prostate cancer and being told he has only three months to live.
However, the release angered many families who lost loved ones in the attack - a feeling further exacerbated by Megrahi receiving a hero's welcome back in his homeland.