The Lockerbie saga ends, but questions remain

On December 21, 1988, an explosion blew up the Pan Am flight 103 in the sky above a small Scottish town, Lockerbie. And one man, who was convicted for the bombing walked out free from prison in Scotland on August 21, 2009.

Kamna Arora

On December 21, 1988, an explosion blew up the Pan Am flight 103 in the sky above a small Scottish town, Lockerbie. The worst terror atrocity in the British history had claimed the lives of all 259 people on board the plane and 11 on the ground. And one man, who was convicted for murdering those 270 innocents, walked out free from prison in Scotland on August 21, 2009 after serving just eight years of a life sentence. Abdel Basset Ali al-Megrahi, the former Libyan intelligence officer, was arrested in 1999 after a challenging criminal investigation. More challenging was the diplomatic as well as legal process required to implicate him. The Libyan agent was tried in The Netherlands, but as per Scottish law. The man was given a life sentence in 2001. However, he served less than a third of the 27-year sentence and flew back to his homeland to ‘die of prostate cancer’. Cancer specialists have given al-Megrahi less than 90 days to live. Al-Megrahi is free now. Announcing the Libyan’s release, Justice Secretary of Scotland Kenny MacAskill said, "The compassion was a defining characteristic of Scottish people" and that "the perpetuation of an atrocity cannot and should not be a basis for losing sight of who we are... Mr Al-Megrahi now faces a sentence imposed by a higher power. It`s one that no court... could revoke or overrule. It is terminal, final and irrevocable. He is going to die." Notably, the man has never admitted his guilt. And some contend that the full truth in relation to the attack would never come out and always remain veiled. Albeit Libya has formally taken the blame for the Lockerbie bombing, some believe that al-Megrahi is nothing but a scapegoat. The release of al-Megrahi has led to high drama and hullabaloo. The 57-year-old man was greeted with cheers and flower petals at Tripoli airport, leaving the families of Lockerbie bombing victims enraged and upset. Though they understand that their family members can never come back, it is extremely hard for them to accept that the only man convicted for killing their loved ones is now free. They still seek answers from him as to how and why their family members were killed. The diplomatic chaos began when US President Barack Obama condemned the ‘hero’s welcome’ given to al-Megrahi as "highly objectionable” and Britain damned the scenes of jubilation at the Tripoli airport as "upsetting". Making the circumstances worse was the claim that al-Megrahi was freed to better commercial ties between UK and Libya. However, Britain has straightforwardly rejected the claim. The question that crops up is: If there was no behind-the-scene deal, then why was al-Megrahi not freed under a recent prisoner transfer agreement between the UK and Libya? The Scottish Justice Secretary had the option of accepting the request forwarded by the Libyan authorities in May to send al-Megrahi home to serve out the rest of his sentence. However, MacAskill did not do so, prompting allegations that a compassionate release could pave the way for UK firms in terms of profitable energy and arms deals with Libya. It doesn`t matter whether a behind-the-scene deal was signed or not, one thing is certain: Every time a British firm enters into a deal in Libya, British justice will inexorably be fouled by the doubt of a crooked bargain. More than the release, the relatives of victims have another reason to worry about. The questions still remain about al-Megrahi’s role and those of others in the Lockerbie bombing. In fact, MacAskill also said he felt that "there remain concerns (around) some of the wider issues of the Lockerbie atrocity. There are questions to be asked and answered." A professor emeritus of Scots Law at Edinburgh University, Robert Black, told a British magazine, "Al-Megrahi should never have been convicted in the first place. It`s totally inexplicable that a court could have felt the evidence against him justified a guilty verdict." The hopes of many to know the truth dashed when al-Megrahi dropped the appeal to upend his conviction of late. It was believed that a fresh trial could have shed light on many things that failed to emerge in the rush to convict al-Megrahi. Whatever be the role of political and economic powers behind the Libyan agent’s release, one thing is certain that al-Megrahi had answers to many of the lingering questions, which will get buried with his inevitable death.