Police find there was ‘no criminality’ in Lockerbie probe

Police have found no evidence of criminality in the handling of the Lockerbie bombing probe and prosecution.

Detectives spent four years examining nine claims made by the Justice for Megrahi campaign group in an investigation named Operation Sandwood.

Pan Am flight 103 exploded over Lockerbie on December 21 1988, killing 270 people.

Abdelbaset al-Megrahi was convicted of the bombing in 2001.

He was jailed for 27 years but died of prostate cancer aged 60 in 2012, having been freed on compassionate grounds in 2009.

The Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission (SCCRC) announced earlier this year that a full review of the case is to be carried out to decide if an appeal against Megrahi’s conviction can be made.

Chief Constable Iain Livingstone said: “The substance of the allegations were diverse in nature and the sheer scale and complexity of the task has resulted in a particularly protracted inquiry.

“The findings and conclusions have been validated by a senior Queen’s Counsel, entirely unconnected with and acting independently from the Crown Office.”

The Crown Office said the documents will be given appropriate consideration.

A Crown Office spokesman said: “The Lord Advocate has been informed by the chief constable of the findings of the Operation Sandwood investigation and of the chief constable’s conclusion, informed by the advice of independent senior ccounsel, that no evidence of any criminality was found.”

Allegations against the Crown, police and forensic officials who worked on the original probe included perversion of the course of justice and perjury.

Justice for Megrahi campaigners said the findings will be of importance to issues being considered by the SCCRC.

A police officer at the scene of the 1988 bombing.