Newly released documents show the Scottish cabinet did not discuss the release of Abdelbaset al-Megrahi before the decision was made
Dumfries: So, it turns out that the Scottish cabinet didn’t even talk about Abdelbaset al-Megrahi’s release before they made the call. Crazy, right? These newly released papers from 2009 show that there was no formal discussion at all.
The National Records of Scotland just dropped these cabinet documents, and they cover the time when they decided to let Megrahi go on compassionate grounds. He was the only one convicted for the Lockerbie bombing, which tragically took 270 lives back in 1988.
Megrahi was serving his sentence in Scotland when he got diagnosed with prostate cancer. The documents reveal that even though he was a hot topic, there were only a few mentions of him in the cabinet meetings.
Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill did acknowledge an application from the Libyan government for Megrahi’s release. He mentioned that he was considering it, but it seems like the cabinet didn’t really dive into it.
When the cabinet met just two days before the public announcement, MacAskill hinted that he’d be making a statement soon. Then, on August 20, he announced Megrahi’s release, and the guy flew back to Tripoli to a hero’s welcome, which really ticked off a lot of people in the UK and the US.
Holyrood had to come back from summer break to discuss this whole mess, and MacAskill stood by his decision despite the backlash from victims’ families. It’s wild to think it took three years for Megrahi to pass away from cancer, even though they thought he wouldn’t last long back in 2009.
MacAskill recently spoke about the situation, saying he followed the rules for compassionate release in Scotland. He mentioned that medical experts had given a prognosis of just three months for Megrahi, which is why he made the call to let him go.
Now, there’s another guy, Abu Agila Masud, who’s set to stand trial in the US related to the bombing. MacAskill believes he’ll be found guilty, saying Masud was always seen as the bomber due to his military skills. It’s a complicated situation, and while Megrahi might not have had the skills for the bombing, it doesn’t mean he wasn’t involved in some way.
Masud is facing three charges, but he’s denying all of them. It’s a lot to unpack, and the fallout from the Lockerbie bombing still lingers on.
