US urges UK, Scotland to provide fresh evidence linked to Megrahi's release

Washington, Aug 15 (ANI): A team of four US senators conducting an inquiry into the release of the convicted Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, has urged the concerned Scottish lawyers and doctors, to come forward with fresh evidence this week about the matter.

According to the Scotsman, the team is also calling on insiders with knowledge of the UK Government's trade links to Libya, including arms deals with the Gaddafi regime to reveal any evidence they were linked to Megrahi's return home.

The move has been interpreted by many as an example of US interference in the decisions made by the Scottish Government.

"I would be much happier if, rather than doing this they (the senators] would simply call for a UN inquiry into all matters in Lockerbie, where all the evidence was laid out. That way the senators would sleep a lot better in their beds at night," Christine Grahame, an SNP member, said.

SNP ministers have said that they would be happy to support an international inquiry into the Lockerbie case.

Last month, the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee had announced plans to hold a hearing into the case, urging Scottish and UK ministers to give evidence.

They said they wanted to investigate claims that Megrahi's release was linked to a UK-BP oil deal with Libya, along with his release on compassionate grounds.

Meanwhile, Megrahi's doctor, Karol Sikora, has said that he just provided an "opinion" and would have been 'more vague' over the Libyan's health if he had known his opinion would have been treated as fact.

"If I could go back in time I would have probably been more vague and tried to emphasise the statistical chances and not hard fact," he added. (ANI)