The Lord Advocate has expressed hope that the trial of the man accused of being involved in the Pan Am 103 bombing attack will renew confidence in the justice process around the case.
The bombing on December 21, 1988, remains the deadliest terrorist attack on UK soil and the largest homicide case Scotland’s prosecutors have ever encountered, both in terms of scale and of complexity.
In 2001 Abdelbaset al-Megrahi was convicted of the murders of 270 people by the introduction of an explosive device onto a civilian aircraft. It has always been the Crown’s contention that Megrahi acted with others in the commission of his crime.
Abu Aguila Mas’ud has been scheduled to go on trial in Washington DC in May next year for several charges, including destruction of an aircraft resulting in death. The timing of this is being controlled by the court in the US and authorities there have updated families that they have suspended pretrial deadlines with an anticipated delay of 90 to 120 days.
Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain KC said:
“The bombing of Pan Am 103 over Lockerbie was the darkest of days but the dignity of the hundreds of families so dreadfully affected has always shone as a point of light guiding the pursuit of justice.
“Scotland’s prosecutors and police, working with counterparts in the United States have remained steadfast in our commitment to uncovering the truth and holding those responsible accountable.
“The original trial at the Scottish Court in the Netherlands considered Crown evidence from 227 witnesses over 72 days. Megrahi was convicted and that decision has been upheld twice at appeal.
“Despite this long-running and intense scrutiny, I am aware that not everyone shares the same view of the Crown case. I have always believed in the power of the legal process as a tool for fairness and public trust. The forthcoming trial in Washington will bring the facts of this case before the public again, and the circumstances of what happened can be fully understood.”