Megrahi (Lockerbie Bomber) to be released within 24 hours

[Big Wullie]

Al Megrahi will be released within the next 24 hours if he hasn't already secretly been released.

Isn't it great that America is told of the decision before us Scots:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/u ... 802746.ece

http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/UK-New ... _Govt_Says

http://www.theherald.co.uk/national_new ... ursday.php?

http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europ ... pstoryview

http://dailymaghreb.blogspot.com/2009/0 ... rison.html

Professor Black's blog here:

http://lockerbiecase.blogspot.com/


I agree with his release though think his appeal should have continued because of his strong Grounds of Appeal.

There was no reason to emotionally blackmail him (into giving up his appeal) before giving him compassionate release.

What will the rest of the world think of our compassion now ?

Daktari, his plane is coming to Glasgow today, Not fancy joining Megrahi on his luxury (£120 Million) jet, I am sure he would be interested in your views of Scottish Justice now

[David Johnson]

Did the fingerprint images in the case ever become available?

[SueMedname]

"Allan Bayle: I was asked to look at the Lockerbie mark, on which I prepared a forensic ridgeology report. I was then sent to Canada to get it second checked, because there was nobody in the United Kingdom who could second check my work."

Maybe Allan Bayle or the Canadian Expert could help.

[Daktari]

Was the Canadian Two Beers Ashbaugh by any chance?
I think we shouild be told.

[Pat A. Wertheim]

Two Beers Ashbaugh

Would that be the same Ashbaugh who coined the term Scotch Botch to describe Y-7? But here is a serious question maybe you can help us with, Dak. If the whole Pan Am 103 thing was under Scottish jurisdiction, why did Allan Bayle of the Met do the fingerprint work and take it to Canada for verification/peer review? Why didn't SCRO have a go at it? That is a puzzler.

[Big Wullie]

Pat

Why didn't SCRO have a go at it? That is a puzzler.

Perhaps they weren't looked upon as credible enough ?

[SueMedname]

Why didn't SCRO have a go at it? That is a puzzler.

Sorry folks, I'm a newbie, didn't mean to rattle this particular cage.

It is a good question though, why didn't the trial use an expert whose work could be peer verified at their own locale rather than an expert using a foreign approach who's work can only be verified on another continent?

Allan Bayles involvement doesn't seem to be a smear on just the SCRO, but on all British fingerprint experts. Was there really nobody else at Durham, or even at Scotland Yard who was "credible enough" to be peer verified locally?

Big Wullie, you seem of the opinion that Megrahi was innocent, despite Allan Bayle and the Canadian experts evidence? (was the Canadian expert David Ashbaugh?)

I don't know either way whether Megrahi is or isn't innocent, I do know that an appeal trial would have been informative, yet once again, a man found guilty of murder by a scottish court is allowed to walk without troubling the appeal judges, a 'higher power' - in this case the politically appointed justice secretary (rather than a politically appointed Lord Advocate) - decides that the relatives of the murdered need not hear the appeal evidence that the ministers were privy to.

As Big Wullie mentioned credibility, if Allan Bayles account is accurate, it would seem that the whether the SCRO is "credible enough" just isn't relevant to Lockerbie, perhaps the credibility of the fingerprint evidence provided to the Lockerbie trial was relevant to Megrahi's liberation?

[Pat A. Wertheim]

Big Wullie, you seem of the opinion that Megrahi was innocent, despite Allan Bayle and the Canadian experts evidence?

Let us suppose for a moment that we can accept as fact that Allan Bayle made a correct identification to Al Megrahi in this case. The problem is that we do not know what his fingerprint was found on. Was it a bomb fragment from the plane? Was it something in the suitcase in which the bomb was hidden? Was it on an item that was only remotely and circumstantially related to the case? Was it on a item that could have been planted at the scene? Without knowing the provenance of the latent print identified by Mr. Bayle, supposition that it "proves" Al Megrahi's guilt may be a stretch.

I would recommend two books on the bombing of Pan Am flight 103.

First, Scotbom: Evidence and the Lockerbie Investigation by Richard A. Marquise. Mr. Marquise was an FBI Special Agent who assisted in the investigation of the bombing. He posted on this chat board about the case a couple of years ago.

Second, Cover-up of Convenience by John Ashton and Ian Ferguson, two journalists who covered the case extensively.

A person who reads both of these books will have much information to digest.

[Big Wullie]

Just Wondering if there was any difference between Scotland And English standards back then.

For instance was a non numeric system in operation in England but not in Scotland perhaps ?

Was there any difference in Practice.

Why was an English Expert used in the first place when he was tried under Scottish law ?

I am at a loss like Pat as to where the print was found.

Could it have been found on the chip that has been discredited as not one which was made for Libya at-all, after the trial heard it was.

The chip that had never been soldered.

Could something have been planted when the hanger was broken into at Heathrow, which was withheld from the trial judges.

Could it have been found on the radio which has since been discredited after hearing others had been arrested ( I Think in East Germany) with Bombs in the exact same radios linking Iran.

There is far too much discredited evidence in this Lockerbie case hence my Support for his release though I think his appeal should have continued for the sake of the Families and for Finality.

He could have been bailed to stay in scotland with his family but it looks as though Money has freed him and most importantly Oil Money and contracts with BP, Shell etc for Oil & Gas.

The Son of Gaddafi has said Megrahi's name was always on the negotiating table when talking about Oil.

Shame on us all allowing this to happen

[Daktari]

Any fingerprint work Allan Bayle did for the Lockerbie case was purely of his own volition.
He did not attend the Trial and his ‘evidence’ was never used.
Neither of which has prevented him subsequently claiming that he was a star player in the investigation.
Any fingerprint work (mainly to identify the deceased) was carried out by Lothian and Borders Bureau since Dumfries and Galloway Police was deemed too small to handle such a major incident.
A certain irony exists because had D&G carried out the investigations any FP work would have been carried out by SCRO in Glasgow!

[RL Tavernaro]

Any fingerprint work Allan Bayle did for the Lockerbie case was purely of his own volition.
....

By what authority can this statement be made? My experience suggests that there is virtually no government administered criminal case in which an independent third party can gain access to evidence purely 'of their own volition' for analysis, prior to official disposition of the case.