Lockerbie bombing: Lord Advocate and FBI boss fly to Libya for summit

THE Lord Advocate Frank Mulholland has flown to Libya to meet the Libyan prime minister Abdurahim el-Keib to discuss the investigation into the Lockerbie bombing, it has emerged.

• Frank Mulholland and Robert Mueller have flown to Libya to discuss Lockerbie investigation• Talks with Libyan prime minister over ongoing investigation

• Abdelbaset al-Megrahi was only man convicted of 1988 bombing

The Crown Office confirmed that Mr Mulholland, Scotland’s most senior prosecutor, also met FBI director Robert Mueller, who was in Tripoli for the same reason.

The meeting, which took place last week, is thought to have paved the way for UK and Scottish police to travel to Libya to continue their investigations into the worst mass murder in British legal history.

The Transitional National Government in Libya – which was born out of the fall of the Gaddafi regime – told the Foreign Office at the end of last year it would allow police from Dumfries and Galloway to travel to the country to continue their investigation into the bombing.

Mr Mulholland’s trip to Libya did not include a visit to Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi, the man convicted of the Lockerbie bombing, who is now living in Tripoli following his controversial release by justice secretary Kenny MacAskill.

The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service said the meeting, which took place on 25 April, was not publicised at the time for security reasons.

A Crown Office spokesman said: “The Lord Advocate, Frank Mulholland QC, and Robert S Mueller, director of the FBI, met with the Libyan prime minister Abdurahim el-Keib to discuss the ongoing investigation into the Lockerbie bombing.

“The Libyan authorities confirmed that they fully understood the importance of dealing with the tragic issues left behind by Colonel Gaddafi and his regime, both in Libya and overseas.

“The Lord Advocate expressed his desire to the Libyan prime minister that there will be a positive response to his recent request for co-operation and the international letter of request”.

A total of 270 people were killed when Pan Am Flight 103 blew up over Lockerbie, Dumfries and Galloway, four days before Christmas in 1988.

Megrahi was the only man convicted of the atrocity. However, it is widely accepted that he did not act alone.

He was sentenced to life in prison in 2001, but was released on compassionate grounds from Greenock Prison, Inverclyde, in August 2009 after being diagnosed with terminal cancer.

At the time, doctors estimated he had about three months to live.

Last month, it was reported that Megrahi had been rushed to hospital for an emergency blood transfusion after his health “deteriorated quickly”.

In February this year, the Crown Office said a formal request had been sent to the Libyan government requesting access to the country for police and prosecutors involved in the investigation.

The Libyan National Transitional Council has previously confirmed to the UK government that it will assist the ongoing criminal investigation into the bombing, and agreed to allow officers from Dumfries and Galloway Police to travel to Libya.