Dating Vouchers Auctions Bingo Lose Weight Franchising Mobile Recycle Shopping Book Shop Compare Broadband Wine Shop Legal Store FlatShare Cruises

Columnists

UK NEWS

BROWN: THERE WAS NO DOUBLE DEALING OVER MEGRAHI

LOCKERBIE: Brown says there was no cover-up

Wednesday September 2,2009

By Julia White for Express.co.uk

Comment Speech Bubble Have your say(9)

GORDON Brown denied “double dealing” over the Lockerbie row today after it emerged that he had privately backed the bomber’s release.

The Prime Minister insisted the final decision to free Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi had been taken by the Scottish Government, and UK ministers had not sought to influence it.

He said: “There was no conspiracy, no cover-up, no double dealing, no deal on oil, no attempt to instruct Scottish ministers, no private assurances by me to Colonel Gaddafi."

Mr Brown stopped short of confirming explicitly that he had favoured releasing Megrahi from prison before his death.

But he went on: “Did we as a Government say we would try to stop the Scottish Executive and force Megrahi to die in prison? No, we did not do so, and did not have the power to do so - and that was the right thing to do.”

CONTROVERSY: He was given a hero's welcome in Libya

He added: “There was never a linkage between any other issue and the Scottish Government’s decision about Megrahi’s future.

“Our interest throughout has been to strengthen the coalition against international terrorism.”

But he described the scenes accompanying the bomber’s return as “despicable”.

A video of Megrahi being feted on his arrival in Tripoli was shown in the Libyan capital, as part of the celebrations of leader Colonel Gaddafi’s 40 years in power.

There was no conspiracy, no cover-up, no double dealing

Gordon Brown

Mr Brown’s comments came as MSPs debated the bomber’s release. Scotland Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill defended his decision to turn down Megrahi’s bid to be transferred to Libya, and to grant his request for compassionate early release.

Mr MacAskill said: “Based on the values, beliefs and common humanity that defines us as Scots, I allowed him to return home to die.

A mass of documentation was published yesterday by the Westminster and Edinburgh administrations as they sought to dampen speculation that Megrahi’s release was linked to economic and political deals with Col Gaddafi’s regime.

But a key passage in one paper issued by the Scottish Government gave renewed momentum to the row by revealing that Libya was told earlier this year that Mr Brown did not want to see Megrahi die in jail.

Earlier, Tory leader David Cameron called for an inquiry into the affair.

Mr Cameron said: “There are complexities in this and the way to deal with that is to have a brief inquiry, led - I would argue - by a former permanent secretary, to look at all of the paperwork, all of the meetings, all the things that were said and to produce a short report so we can see what the British Government has been doing in our name.”

Mr Brown defended his refusal to voice publicly his opinion on Megrahi’s release, and said he had “minimised” the pain for Lockerbie families.

He insisted: “Would it have been right to have spoken publicly about the issue before the decision when it was a matter for the Scottish government? No, we would have been wrong to intervene when it was a quasi judicial decision for the Scottish Government.

HAVE YOUR SAY: SHOULD THE LOCKERBIE BOMBER HAVE BEEN FREED?

“After the decision was made, and after the despicable scenes at Tripoli airport, was I right to use my energies to minimise further unnecessary suffering for the relatives of Lockerbie victims and to prevent Libyan independence day being made into a celebration of Megrahi’s return? Yes, and as we saw yesterday, he did not appear at those events.”

Earlier, Foreign Secretary David Miliband confirmed Mr Brown did not want to see the Lockerbie bomber die in jail.

Mr Miliband said: “He has spoken the truth absolutely clearly about what happened in the meeting.”

Asked if Mr Rammell had spoken the truth about his own view and the view of Mr Brown, he added: “We did not want him to die in prison, no, we weren’t seeking his death in prison.”

WHAT'S CLICKING ON EXPRESS.CO.UK TODAY?

EXPRESS NEWS: BROWN TO TAX YOU EVEN MORE

EXPRESS NEWS; OPPOSITION LEADERS AGREE TO TV LIVE DEBATE AHEAD OF ELECTIONS

EXPRESS NEWS PRISON OFFICERS 'SHOULD HAVE A DEGREE'

EXPRESS FEATURES: SEX AND THE CITY GOES 80S

EXPRESS FEATURES: BORIS MAKES ONE ELLE OF A COVER BOY

Amazon.co.uk Widgets

GORDO DO ONE

02.09.09, 11:44pm

Gordo protesting innocence is like a young children protesting they didn't eat all the chocolate biscuits when it is evident that they have chocolate all around their mouths.

• Posted by: DukeVonCarpet • Report Comment

BROWN: "THERE WAS NO DOUBLE DEALING OVER MEGRAHI"

02.09.09, 10:40pm

"And by the way we would also like to announce that Blue Cheese has been found on the Moon"

• Posted by: Damocles • Report Comment

BROWN"THERE WAS NO DOULBLE DEALING"

02.09.09, 8:59pm

dont believe it.

• Posted by: se • Report Comment

HOW DOES BROWN...

02.09.09, 7:46pm

...think that releasing a terrorist and sucking up to Libya will strenghthen coalition against international terrorism, they have got what they wanted. Brown has always said he will not negotiate with terrorists, well he just has. I too think this man will make a miraculous recovery like Ernest Saunders and a few others did.

• Posted by: Disgruntled • Report Comment

WHAT A SORRY STATE WE ARE IN

02.09.09, 7:36pm

Nu labour has dragged or parliment so far down into the gutter we now trust gaddafi more than Brown.And if any labour MPs are reading this the time to ditch Brown has come.

• Posted by: retiredmale • Report Comment

OUR GORMLESS GORDON IS PREVARICATING ONCE MORE

02.09.09, 6:57pm

Of course a deal was done, our Gordon is prevaricating once more and this time, it 'bits the biscuit'.
Have you heard the latest on mass murderer Abdelbaset Al Megrahi? Well guess what? Libya's Propaganda chief Majid al-Dursi has just said that this mass murderer is on the brink of death and that he is "deteriorating fast" just two weeks after his controversial release.
Surely, I don't have to tell you this, but I can smell a rat here, I suppose this is all done so to take some of the heat away from their new found friend our gormless Gordon and another thing, I can tell you that sometime next week we should see his obituary and a mock funeral, while he is sunning himself on a far from the crowd Libyan beach making a very quick recovery.

• Posted by: executioner • Report Comment