Libya's Muammar Gaddafi yesterday asked Prime Minister Gordon Brown for help in the case of the dying former Libyan agent who is appealing against a life sentence for the 1988 Lockerbie aircraft bombing.

The Scottish Appeal Court said this week the case would not be concluded until next year, raising concerns that 57-year-old Abdel Basset al-Megrahi who is suffering from terminal prostate cancer will die before the appeal finishes.

"Gaddafi raised the issue of Mr Megrahi," Mr Brown's spokesman told reporters at the G8 summit in Italy, where the two leaders held bilateral talks, the first time they had met.

"The Libyans reiterated their longstanding position that they would like to see him go back to Libya. The Prime Minister made clear it was a matter for the Scottish government."

The Libyan and British governments signed a prisoner transfer agreement this year and Tripoli has sought Mr Megrahi's return. But Scotland has a separate legal system from the rest of Britain and his fate lies with the Scottish government.

Scotland's Justice Minister Kenny MacAskill is currently consulting all parties concerned, including the US and Libyan governments and families of the victims of the bombing before deciding whether to accede to Libya's request.