Scottish Conservatives justice spokesman David McLetchie MSP has become the front-man for those who wish to conceal the truth about the Lockerbie trial. In doing so the Scottish Conservatives have politicised the Lockerbie disaster.
Is Mr McLetchie really aware that he is defending the following? -
1. Secret offers of huge rewards to the prosecution's main witnesses Maltese shopkeeper Tony Gauci and CIA double agent Majid Giaka were made throughout the two year police investigation. The records of these offers were concealed from the defence and judges by the combined actions of senior policemen, Crown officials, and members of the FBI.
2. Many of these policemen and FBI officers are named in the SCCRC report.
3. The importance of keeping these offers secret was made clear in a memo dated 15th May 2007 written by DI Dalgliesh (Dalgliesh now, apparently, heads the Lockerbie police team). In the memo Dalgliesh tells his colleagues of the danger of the information becoming public: "[there is] a real danger that if [the] SCCRC’s statement of reasons is leaked to the media, Anthony Gauci could be portrayed as having given flawed evidence for financial reward…”
4. Flawed evidence for financial reward is exactly what Gauci did give.
5. At the height of the Lockerbie police enquiries, a new witness appeared. David Wright gave a statement to the Dumfries and Galloway police suggesting that Gauci had been totally confused about the date of a purchase of clothes, remnants of which had been found at Lockerbie. If Wright was correct, then Al-Megrahi could not have been the purchaser, since he was not in Malta when Wright had witnessed the actual purchase.
6. If Gauci was not the purchaser, then the main plank of the prosecution case would evaporate. Al-Megrahi would most probably have walked free from the court.
7. The police quietly filed Wright's statement, and his existence was concealed from the Lockerbie trial. Both the investigating detectives and Crown lawyers knew of his existence but kept the information from the trial judges and defence.
8. Wright and his statement were discovered only during a three-year inquiry by officers of the SCCRC. He swore an affidavit reaffirming his original claims. His evidence forms part of the so-far unpublished SCCRC report.
9. The existence of Wright and his statement and affidavit are another reason that the Scottish police, Crown office, and certain members of the FBI are afraid of publication of the SCCRC's report.
10. There were other important matters concealed from the judges and the defence, and we will comment on these at an appropriate time.
This latest merging of attempts at concealment by the police and Crown office with the Scottish Conservative party is an insult to the dead of Lockerbie.
Very well done for exposing all McLetchie stands for. But then you must also remember that, Thatcher, the Tory most responsible for covering the truth about Lockerbie, is probably a pin up of his.
ReplyDeleteMr McLetchie's tactics at the hearing were despicable. His smug approach and his ability to ignore what this case actually involved, the deaths of so many innocent people, beggared belief. He should be ashamed of himself. What I have never understood, regardless of my own views on the Megrahi conviction, is the absolute determination of so many others to prevent, at all costs, a full and proper investigation into that verdict and, indeed, even the hearing of the second appeal. What is there to fear for them I wonder? Here again McLetchie ignored rather a lot. He referred to the dropping of the appeal several times but did not once admit that we were never told why it was dropped or where the pressure to drop it came from. Presumably he isn't interested. Far better to speculate and spin it in the manner that best protects his own position. Disgusting.