My dad wasn’t the bomber. I’ve been to his grave to tell him he’ll get a chance to clear his name
Appeal backed by dads who lost daughters
The eldest son of convicted Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset al- Megrahi visited his dad’s grave to tell him he would get a chance to clear his name.
Khaled al- Megrahi said he made the emotional trip with his own five-year-old son, named after his grandad, after hearing the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission (SCCRC) had referred the conviction to the High Court for appeal.
The 35-year-old IT worker said his dad, a Libyan intelligence officer, always believed his 27- year jail sentence would eventually be overturned.
Speaking from his Tripoli home, he said: “I was picking up my son at school when we learned of the news.
“My fat her always said he was innocent and believed that someday we would help clear his name.
“That no matter how long it takes and even if he died, we would fight on.
“As a family, we will fight for the truth, even if it has to be done by his grandsons.
“Anytime there is any news about my life or his appeal, I visit his graveside and tell him and that was the same last week.”
Megrahi died, aged 60, in 2012 after being controversially released from Scottish prison early on compassionate grounds following a cancer diagnosis .
The move came amid anger from some of the families whose loved ones perished in the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 which killed 270 people.
It remains Britain’s worst ever terror attack.
A request for a posthumous appeal against the 2001 conviction was submitted almost three years ago by the Megrahi family.
It was backed by Dr Jim Swire and the Rev John Mosey, who each lost a daughter in the atrocity.
The appeal was granted on a number of grounds. These included that the guilty verdict was unreasonable and that the court
should not have accepted key discredited evidence from Maltese shop owner Tony Gauci, who said he sold Megrahi clothing found wrapped around the bomb.
The commission found the Crown failed in its duty to tell Megrahi’s defence that money was paid to Gauci in return for his evidence and that he’d seen pictures of the accused in a magazine before he picked him out of an identification parade.
The SCCRC also concluded that Megrahi was pressured by the Scottish Government to give up an ongoing appeal to secure his early release in 2009.
Khaled said his family had no idea who had carried out the bombing but were sure their dad was innocent.
He added: “Divine justice will take revenge on the killer.
“I just hope God sends mercy to all the victims and my dad and allows them to rest in peace when the truth comes out.” Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf said the SCCRC decision showed that Scotland had a “justice system that works”. He added: ” We have the SCCRC there as a check and balance within our justice system. Now it is really important that everybody allows the court of appeal to do the job it is meant to do.”
The Crown Of f ice and Procurator Fiscal Service said it would not be appropriate to comment.
Assistant Chief Constable Angela McLaren said: “This remains a live investigation and we are unable to comment further.”