Nelson Mandela was asked to back release of Megrahi

MORE details of how the Scottish Government asked well-known figures such as Nelson Mandela to endorse the release of the Lockerbie bomber have been revealed.

Correspondence released under freedom of information legislation, show that one of First Minister Alex Salmond’s advisers e-mailed the former South African leader’s office, as well as Desmond Tutu and former Irish president Mary Robinson, asking for them to consider issuing a public statement.

US businessman Donald Trump has already revealed he was asked, but refused, to put his name to a prepared statement saying he was “certain” the release was made for good reasons.

The Scottish Government’s requests came shortly after the controversial decision to grant compassionate release to Abdelbaset al-Megrahi in August 2009.

Megrahi, who had cancer, died in May this year. He was sentenced to life in prison for the bombing of a US aircraft over the Scottish town in 1988, which claimed 270 lives.