Tory MP urges Cameron to hold Megrahi release probe

Published on 18/07/2010 15:53

PRIME Minister David Cameron is facing calls from one of his back-benchers to hold an investigation into the Scottish Government and its decision last year to release the Lockerbie bomber.

The demand, from Tory MP Daniel Kawczynski, who chairs the all-party Libya group in the Commons, came after it emerged both Foreign Secretary William Hague and SNP justice secretary Kenny MacAskill might appear before a US Senate inquiry into the issue in Washington.

US senators are concerned about the links between an oil deal with BP and the signing of a prisoner transfer agreement (PTA) between the UK and Libya, which the oil giant has admitted it lobbied for. Both governments in London and Edinburgh have pointed out that Mr MacAskill rejected the PTA route last August and instead decided to allow Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi to go home on compassionate grounds because he has terminal cancer and was supposed to live only three months.

However, Megrahi has managed to survive almost a year and some reports suggest he may live for a decade or more.

At the time, only the prison doctor at Greenock was willing to give a three-month diagnosis, while four cancer experts refused to do so.

The Scottish Government has since resisted publishing all the medical documentation or the frequent updates it receives on Megrahi's health.

In his letter to the Prime Minister, Mr Kawczynski described the decision to release Megrahi as "profoundly misguided", saying it "has had an impact on the standing of the United Kingdom in the eyes of the Arab world and beyond".

He added: "I therefore ask you as Prime Minister to assess how your government can hold the Scottish Executive (Government] to account and urge you to work towards holding a full public inquiry into the release."

But his calls for an inquiry look set to be turned down, even though the coalition government has said it was opposed to the decision to release the only man found guilty of the murder of 270 people when Pan Am flight 103 was blown up over Lockerbie on 21 December, 1988.

A Downing Street spokesman reiterated the government's position that was set out in a recent letter from Foreign Secretary William Hague to his US counterpart, Hillary Clinton.

The Hague letter resisted calls for an inquiry, noting the decision was the Scottish Government's to make and saying there was no evidence of any involvement by BP.

However, the Scottish Government went on the attack last night, pointing out that Mr Kawczynski was the MP who had wanted Mr MacAskill to use Megrahi as a "bargaining chip" with Libya.

"This was as extraordinary as it was inappropriate in relation to determining applications for prisoner transfer or compassionate release," a spokesman for First Minister Alex Salmond said.

"If the US Senate wants to get the truth about the 'deal in the desert' by the UK and Libyan governments in 2007, they should call Tony Blair to give evidence.

Blair was its architect – he would be the one who knows about an oil deal.

"Kenny MacAskill rejected Libya's prisoner transfer application for al-Megrahi, and he based his decisions on both the PTA and the compassionate release application on strict justice criteria."

He also pointed out that there has already been an inquiry by the Scottish Parliament. The Scottish Government has since resisted publishing all the medical documentation or the frequent updates it receives on Megrahi's health.

In his letter to the Prime Minister, Mr Kawczynski described the decision to release Megrahi as "profoundly misguided", saying it "has had an impact on the standing of the United Kingdom in the eyes of the Arab world and beyond".

He added: "I therefore ask you as Prime Minister to assess how your government can hold the Scottish Executive [Government] to account and urge you to work towards holding a full public inquiry into the release."

But his calls for an inquiry look set to be turned down, even though the coalition government has said it was opposed to the decision to release the only man found guilty of the murder of 270 people when Pan Am flight 103 was blown up over Lockerbie on 21 December, 1988.

A Downing Street spokesman reiterated the government's position that was set out in a recent letter from Foreign Secretary William Hague to his US counterpart, Hillary Clinton.

The Hague letter resisted calls for an inquiry, noting the decision was the Scottish Government's to make and saying there was no evidence of any involvement by BP.

However, the Scottish Government went on the attack last night, pointing out that Mr Kawczynski was the MP who had wanted Mr MacAskill to use Megrahi as a "bargaining chip" with Libya.

"This was as extraordinary as it was inappropriate in relation to determining applications for prisoner transfer or compassionate release," a spokesman for First Minister Alex Salmond said.

"If the US Senate wants to get the truth about the ‘deal in the desert' by the UK and Libyan governments in 2007, they should call Tony Blair to give evidence. Blair was its architect - he would be the one who knows about an oil deal.

"Kenny MacAskill rejected Libya's prisoner transfer application for al-Megrahi, and he based his decisions on both the PTA and the compassionate release application on strict justice criteria."

He also pointed out that there has already been an inquiry by the Scottish Parliament.