The family of the Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset al-Megrahi have launched a new appeal against his conviction.<\/p>\n
He was convicted of killing 271 people in the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 above Lockerbie in the worst terrorist atrocity ever committed in the UK.<\/p>\n
Megrahi was jailed for 27 years in 2001 but died of prostate cancer aged 60 in 2012 after being released on compassionate grounds in 2009.<\/p>\n
Lawyer Aamer Anwar joined family members and supporters to hand files to the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission (SCCRC) in Glasgow.<\/p>\n
Megrahi lost an appeal against his conviction in 2002 and dropped a second attempt to overturn it in 2009 before he returned to Libya.<\/p>\n
His widow Aisha and son Ali launched the bid after meeting to discuss a posthumous appeal with Mr Anwar.<\/p>\n
The SCCRC will now decide whether there are grounds to refer the case to the appeal court.<\/p>\n
The move has the support of Jim Swire, who lost his daughter Flora in the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103, and Rev John Mosey, whose daughter Helga also died.<\/p>\n
Mr Anwar said: “It has been a long journey in the pursuit for truth and justice.<\/p>\n
“When Pan Am Flight 103 exploded over Lockerbie on 21 December 1988, killing 271 people from 21 countries, it still remains the worst terrorist atrocity ever committed in the UK – 28 years later the truth remains elusive.<\/p>\n
“The reputation of Scottish law has suffered both at home and internationally because of widespread doubts about the conviction of Mr al-Megrahi.<\/p>\n
“It is in the interests of justice and restoring confidence in our criminal justice system that these doubts can be addressed. However the only place to determine whether a miscarriage of justice did occur is in the appeal court, where the evidence can be subjected to rigorous scrutiny.”<\/p>\n
Source: itv.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"