More defectors 'set to point the finger' over Lockerbie inquiry

Published on 08/04/2011 19:52

RELATIVES of American victims of the Lockerbie bombing are expecting more Libyan defectors to shed further light on the atrocity that killed 270 people.

Those who lost loved ones in the UK's worst mass-murder claim that they have been told that more defectors are set to follow in the footsteps of Moussa Koussa, the former Libyan foreign minister who has defected to Britain.

Frank Duggan, the Washington-based lawyer who represents many of the US families, yesterday said he was hopeful that future defectors would provide more evidence, the day after Scottish prosecutors and police officers interviewed Mr Koussa.

"Moussa Koussa is not going to be the only defector," Mr Duggan said. "I have heard that there are other people who are going to be willing to talk. I doubt that any of them will say anything that would incriminate themselves, but they might point the finger at other people who were involved in the bombing.

"Moussa Koussa is a very smooth character, but he is also a very bad man. He has got blood on his hands. I don't know what he is going to say about the bombing of Pan Am 103, but he obviously knows a great deal. Whether that translates into evidence that the prosecution can use in court for future indictments remains to be seen."

Representatives of the Crown Office and Dumfries and Constabulary travelled to London to meet with Mr Koussa on Thursday. Neither organisation would release any details about their inquiries, saying that it was a "live investigation".

• Libya: No apology from British Nato chief over deaths of tank rebels

A joint statement added: "In order to preserve the integrity of that investigation it would not be appropriate at this time to offer any further details of the meeting or the details of ongoing inquiries."

Mr Duggan added: "We get updates of these meetings, but they don't say much. I understand that because we don't want to jeopardise the prosecution."

The Scotsman understands the Crown Office team included Lindsey Miller, a senior prosecutor who has worked on the Lockerbie case for many years.

Although only 39, she was involved in the case in the late 1990s when Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al Megrahi was indicted for the crime.

Since then, Megrahi has been convicted and later released from Greenock prison on compassionate grounds. Diagnosed with terminal prostate cancer, justice secretary Kenny Mac-Askill released him on the basis that he had just three months to live. Around 18 months later he is still alive and living in Tripoli.

Ms Miller has spent most of her career working for the Crown Office and is regarded as an extremely bright prosecutor. She would also have been joined by John Dunn, the deputy Crown agent who has also worked on the case for years."Wild horses wouldn't have dragged him away from that meeting," said one legal source.

From the police side, questioning was led by Det Supt Michael Dalgliesh, of Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary. Yesterday, First Minsister Alex Salmond said: "I am pleased that Dumfries and Galloway police have had access to Moussa Koussa as requested, and no doubt officers will question him again if required as part of their ongoing investigation. It is very important for the integrity of the process that the police and Crown authorities are given the freedom to pursue their investigation without unwarranted speculation on the substance of their inquiries."

Mr Koussa, also an ex-Libyan intelligence chief, fled Tripoli last week and has since been talking with British diplomats and security officials.

Megrahi is the only man ever to be convicted of the crime, but it has always been suspected that many more people were behind the crime. A second man, Amin Khalifa Fhimah, stood trial with Megrahi, but was acquitted.

Yesterday it was suggested that he could face a retrial in the wake of reforms to the double jeopardy law, which will clear the way for an accused person to stand trial more than once.