According to the Sunday Telegraph, ‘the British, Scottish and Libyan governments connived to free Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi on compassionate grounds.’

It was recently updated medical evidence that allowed Megrahi, 57, otherwise known as the Lockerbie bomber, to earn the release condition of ‘compassionate grounds’ and be permitted to go back home to Libya. It is now revealed that the said medical evidence was actually ‘paid for by the Libyan government, which encouraged three doctors to say he had only three months to live’ due to terminal prostate cancer.

Libya commissioned three doctors to medically assess Megrahi. Two of these doctors issued the three-month life expectancy estimate. The third doctor confirmed a short time left for the Libyan prisoner. The matter of length of lifetime left was central to the Scottish ‘compassionate grounds’ category for prisoner release. ‘Under Scottish rules, prisoners can be freed on compassionate grounds only if they are considered to have this amount of
time, or less, to live.’

Megrahi is reportedly already out of intensive care unit in the Tripoli hospital he is in.

All this recent turn of events could be clearly understood against the backdrop of pending trade agreements between Libya and the UK. In May, Libya warned that if Megrahi dies in jail, ‘trade deals between the two countries – worth billions of pounds – would be cancelled.’ Plans to open a London office of the Libyan Investment Authority, a sovereign fund with $136billion (£83billion) to invest would also be altered if Megrahi is not released and brought back to Libya.

Justice Secretary Jack Straw also earlier revealed that Megrahi’s hastened release has something to do with ensuring BP’s $900 million oil exploration contract in Libya.

Via Telegraph.co.uk