FATAL EVIDENCE
Appeal told missing documents would have destroyed case against Megrahi if disclosed
DOCUMENTS relating to a key witness in the Lockerbie bombing conviction would have “destroyed” the case if they had been disclosed, an appeal court has heard.
The bombing of Pan Am flight 103, travelling from London to New York on December 21 1988, killed 270 people in Britain’s largest terrorist atrocity.
Former Libyan intelligence officer Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, who was found guilty in 2001 of mass murder and jailed for life with a minimum term of 27 years, was the only person convicted of the attack.
He died in his home country in 2012 having been released on compassionate grounds. A third appeal against his conviction began on Tuesday at the High Court in Edinburgh, sitting as the Court of Appeal.
Appeal judges have been told shopkeeper Tony Gauci identified the late Megrahi as resembling the man who bought clothing in his shop – later found in a suitcase containing the bomb.
It was heard documents in possession of the Crown revealed the witness had expressed frustration he would not be compensated for his part in the case.
Gordon Jackson QC, of the Megrahi family’s legal team, argued if the defence team at the time had known about this they would have found other documents that show Mr Gauci expressed an “interest in receiving money”.
The court was told two other factors – that Gauci was informed Megrahi was in an identification parade and inconsistencies in evidence – would have led to the Libyan’s acquittal.
It was heard the lawyers would have been able to change their “softly, softly” approach to questioning the witness and challenged his credibility.