Lockerbie bomber claims he was 'betrayed' by Maltese man
Abdelbaset Al Megrahi, the Libyan man convicted of the Lockerbie bombing and controversially released last year, is claiming that a Maltese witness at his trial “betrayed a fellow human being for money”.
The claim was made to Jim Swire, a Scottish doctor who last week visited Al Megrahi in Tripoli. Dr Swire lost his daughter in the Lockerbie bombing in 1988.
Al Megrahi was convicted of killing 259 people on board a Pan Am jet with exploded over the Scottish town of Lockerbie, and 11 on the ground.
The two men met in Tripoli last Tuesday where they discussed, among other issues, Tony Gauci, the owner of a shop in Sliema who claimed he had identified Mr Al Megrahi as the man who had bought clothes from him that were later found wrapped around the bomb.
His testimony led to the imprisonment of Mr Al-Megrahi, until the Libyan was released a year ago on compassionate grounds after being diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer.
Asked by The Sunday Times whether the two men spoke about Mr Gauci’s testimony, Dr Swire said: “Yes we did. We felt that if Abdelbaset and I were standing at the gates of heaven, and Mr Gauci applied for entry he would be asked why he had betrayed his brother human being and his only answer would have to be ‘for the money’.”
Mr Al-Megrahi’s defence team recently contended that the Maltese witness was paid “in excess of $2 million”, while his brother was paid “in excess of $1 million” for their cooperation.
Dr Swire said he was convinced of the Libyan’s innocence, saying he was converted by the evidence he heard in the main trial at Camp Zeist.
Dr Swire said Mr Gauci’s evidence was clearly unreliable now that it had emerged (from a policeman’s diary, since made public by Mr Megrahi’s defence team and not seen by the court), that he was enticed with offers of American money to give evidence, which the court was unaware of.
(Full story in The Sunday Times)
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Frank Portelli 2BFRANK
Sep 19th 2010, 19:47
We will probably never know the whole truth about the Lockerbie atrocity and who planned and executed the cold blooded murder of 270 innocent people on December-21st-1988 Lockerbie will unfortunately always be linked to Malta-even though there is no evidence of any direct connection to Malta. Nelson Mandela negotiated a deal whereby the United Nations would not press criminal charges against Gaddafi provided he accepted civil responsibility Gaddafi accepted civil responsibility and agreed to pay $2.7 billion compensation to the families of the victims. In 2001 al-Megrahi, a member of the Libyan intelligence service, was convicted of the Lockerbie bombing by three Scottish judges sitting in the Netherlands. In 2002 Megrahi’s appeal against conviction was turned down by another five judges In 2009 Megrahi’s was released on compassionate grounds – this terminated the legal process. In 2003 the Libya submitted a letter to the UN security council stating that Libya had “facilitated the bringing to justice of the two suspects charged with the bombing of Pan Am 103, and accepts responsibility for the actions of its officials" Betrayed were the 270 innocent passengers. Dr Frank Portelli
Martin Cassar
Sep 19th 2010, 17:41
For such amount of money paid by the CIA-FBI (Please keep the Israeli Mossad out for now) while in their shop in Mosta the Gaucis will remember the shoe color of Mr. Megrahi even if was walking in Naxxar! What lies behind is a web of intrigue and information that would most likely undermine the national interests of various countries including the USA and it’s satellite UK and their tail, Israel. Please read about the involvement of the son of Ex British PM Mrs. Thatcher in major secret deals connected with smuggling weapons for both South Africa and the Middle East. Evidence of this dirty business, with other top-secrets Russian agents and classified information were on board of that Pan Am. The bombarding of this flight was a must, so reported the News Week Magazine a week after this tragedy. The truth may never reveal. One thing for certain, Gaddafi will take his money back with interests, he already asking for 5 Billions a year from the EU to………...you see how illegal immigrants along with what’s called ‘terrorism’ coupled with the ‘Islamization’of Europe could turn into lucrative BUSINESS.
Joe Morana
Sep 19th 2010, 14:03
Oh yeah? He had motive and opportunity! Oh, I almost forgot: he said he only had six months to live!
peter agius
Sep 19th 2010, 13:03
From what I read in The Times it seems probable that Iran and Syria were responsible for the Lockerbie disaster. Maybe President Obama - a Muslim - should take note.
Piero Timpano
Sep 19th 2010, 17:15
huh.. Peter, you are joking right?? http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/muslim.asp
M Garzia
Sep 19th 2010, 12:31
Anyone interested in an in-depth article discussing the Lockerbie bomber's court case may look up "The Framing of al-Megrahi" online in the London Review of Books (Volume 31 No. 18, 24 September 2009) by Gareth Peirce.
D Delia
Sep 19th 2010, 12:16
This I never understood. If the bomb exploded how did the clothes that wrapped the bomb remained recognisable?
T Camilleri
Sep 19th 2010, 14:58
D Delia that is only just one of the questions. How can anyone believe that the clothes and a timer would survive the blast and temperatures of thousands of degrees centigrade and not be burned to a cinder? Moreover, experts have said that the cassette allegedly used to contain the explosive was not capable of holding the alleged kilogram of explosive which would have been needed to cause the aircraft to blow up. There was also a break-in in a foreign airport where luggage loaded on the aircraft was held. The allegation that Libya was involves and that the bomb had left Malta was because the CIA and the British secret services wanted to blame Libya for the fact that Gaddafi had kicked out the American and British forces from Libya and Malta for its support for Libya. Pity they found a Judas among us who sold a human being for money. The CIA and the British secret services have blood on their hands.
P.Galea
Sep 19th 2010, 11:46
Here we go again Malta's image with the tourists and all foreign visiters is going down hill faster then a ton of bricks, soon we will be desolate
P>Caruana
Sep 21st 2010, 13:46
I think we already begening to see the damage , as they say Its the Begening of the End to Malta's tourisim.,
Ron Saliba
Sep 19th 2010, 10:26
what is really sad about this whole story is that 1 individual got the blame for the lockerbie. (maybe a scapegoat?).
Brian Maloret
Sep 19th 2010, 12:03
Most British people believe that Megrahi was set up and the only evidence that convicted him was that of MrGauchi who, it is claimed, was paid a fortune by the CIA to do their dirty work. The relatives of the 270 victims of this atrocious act have never received the justice that they deserve. Where is Gauci now, no doubt living in luxery somewhere.
l fenech
Sep 19th 2010, 10:08
Il-gvern meta ikun ta' l'affari tieghu imissu jinvestiga u jara sew fejn qed imorru dawn il-milljuni li qed jigru fl'idejn u hlif hsara mumhiex jghamlu.
A. Borg
Sep 19th 2010, 09:58
Jekk dak li qal Dr.Jim Swire huwa veru dan Tony Guci ghandu hafna xi jwiegeb jekk mhux f'din id-dinja fl-ohra zgur! Jekk mhux minn nista lil Tony Gauci li jaghmillu libel.
J Farrugia
Sep 19th 2010, 10:53
Dawn m'humiex affarijeit ta' libelli. Imma hija l-versjoni tieghu li giet accettata mill-pulizija ta' fejn sehh l-incident u allura mhemmx cans ta' libelli jew ta' xhieda falza. Dan huwa dak li hass ix-xhud l-avukati kellhom ic-cans kollu jaghmlu l-kontro ezami tax-xhud u la darba ix-xhud ma giex imgiddeb allura mhemmx kaz hlief li l-avukat ta' Megrahi m'ghamilx xogholu sew u issa ma joqghodx iwahhal f'kikku u sika.
a.dalli
Sep 19th 2010, 09:38
Mr. Al Megrahi and Mr. Fehma should both ask for the whereabout of a certain Majid who was at the time married to a Maltese girl.
Understand that Majid is under protection in the States