Jack Straw to face questions over Megrahi release
By politics.co.uk staff
Jack Straw will have answer questions from a Commons justice committee over the release of Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi, the man convicted of the Lockerbie bombing.
After his release correspondence was revealed suggesting No 10 may have used its influence to at least tacitly condone a possible prisoner transfer.
The session will look Mr Straw’s decision to exclude Megrahi from the prisoner transfer agreement with Libya and the discussions that took place, within various government departments, on this issue.
The government has always maintained it had no part to play in Megrahi’s release and that the verdict rested entirely with the Scottish parliament.
Lib Dem shadow foreign secretary Edward Davey expressed support for the committee’s aims but suggested one enquiry would not be enough.
“Jack Staw has many questions to answer on his involvement in this issue, so it is right that he comes before a Parliamentary committee.”
“But with daily revelations about the role of Brown, Mandelson and Blair in murky dealings with Libya, we will need a far wider-ranging inquiry to really get to the bottom of this,” he said.
Al Megrahi was freed on compassionate grounds on the 20th of August whereupon he returned home to Libya.
