Lockerbie bomber appeal case halted

12 April 2012

The Libyan convicted of the Lockerbie bombing has formally dropped the second appeal against his conviction for the attack which killed 270 people.

Terminally-ill Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi is serving a life sentence after being convicted in 2001 of the 1988 atrocity.

Three judges at the High Court in Edinburgh accepted his bid to formally drop his appeal amid growing speculation that he could be freed within days.

Scottish Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill is deciding whether to release Megrahi, who is dying from prostate cancer, on compassionate grounds.

The successful bid by Megrahi's lawyers to drop his second appeal removed one possible obstacle to his returning to Libya by another mechanism - under a prisoner transfer agreement.

Scotland's top judge, the Lord Justice General Lord Hamilton, sitting with two other judges, was told Megrahi's condition was worsening and that he was anxious to spend what little time he has left with his family.

Defence QC, Margaret Scott, said: "The court is aware of Mr Megrahi's medical condition in that he has progressive prostate cancer. This has now reached the terminal stage and my client's condition has recently worsened very considerably.

"Up-to-date medical reports from three eminent experts also concurred in the view that he has a very aggressive cancer, that his condition is grave and that the prognosis is extremely limited."

Earlier, seven US senators - including Edward Kennedy and John Kerry, chairman of the Senate current affairs committee - have written to Scottish Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill calling for Megrahi to remain in jail in Scotland. The letter said: "Our international agreement called for his sentence to be served in Scotland and we believe strongly there should be no deviation from this sentence."

Megrahi was convicted of mass murder for the bombing of Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie in January 2001, killing all 259 people on board and 11 people in the Scottish town.

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