Lockerbie inquiry finds ‘no criminality’

● Investigation run for almost 5 years ● Material passed onto Crown Office

A long-running police investigation into allegations made by supporters of the man convicted of the Lockerbie bombing has found no evidence of criminality.

Police Scotland had been examining claims made by the Justice for Megrahi (JFM) group about the prosecution of Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed almegrahi.

Megrahi, who died in 2012 after being controversially released from prison three years earlier, is the only person to have been convicted over the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103.

Officers started their inquiries – Operation Sandwood – in February 2014 after JFM made a number of complaints against prosecutors, police and forensic officials, alleging attempts to pervert the course of justice ahead of Megrahi’s trial at Camp Zeist in the Netherlands 18 years ago.

Police Scotland has now concluded its investigation, which looked at nine allegations, and said it found no evidence of criminality.

But JFM said it hoped the police’s findings would help inform the ongoing review of Megrahi’s conviction by the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission (SCCRC).

Chief Constable Iain Livingstone said: “I have written to

0 The Lockerbie bomber’s wife Aisha al-megrahi and son Khalid al-megrahi attend a justice march, to highlight the alleged miscarriages against her husband in 2008

the Lord Advocate to inform him Operation Sandwood is now complete and that there is no evidence of criminality and therefore no basis to submit a standard prosecution report.

“The material collated during the inquiry and the findings and conclusions reached have relevance to both the ongoing live investigation and the potential appeal against conviction lodged on behalf of the late Mr Megrahi. The materials have therefore been handed to Crown Office officials.”

In a statement, JFM said: “We welcome Chief Constable Livingstone’s announcement that, while there will be no criminal prosecutions follow-

ing from the Police Scotland inquiry, the findings of that inquiry will be of importance to many of the issues being considered by the SCCRC.

“As the 30th anniversary of this tragedy approaches, we feel there is a very real possibility that the truth behind the UK’S worst-ever terrorist outrage will finally be revealed.

“We have confidence that the Scottish criminal justice system will welcome this light that has now been shone into the darkness that surrounds Lockerbie and will ensure that the truth is finally revealed to those who lost their loved ones.”