Was Lockerbie bomber release connected to trade deal?
The Sunday newspapers are full of apparently leaked letters from the UK government with regards to potential trade deals in exchange for the transfer of al-Megrahi, the Lockerbie bomber. Despite the fact that the UK government has reiterated the fact that no trade talks were ever intermingled with talk of transferring al-Megrahi back to Libya, there appears to have been significant contact between the UK government, the Scottish government and the Libyan authorities back in 2007.
It is alleged that these talks were entered into around about the time BP won a multibillion-dollar oil exploration contract in Libya. The official line is that the Scottish executive took the decision to release the Lockerbie bomb and the while UK government has had contact in the past regarding this particular individual, it was wholly a Scottish executive decision.
The situation has been further complicated by the fact that members of the Libyan government have already stepped forward to suggest that the release of the prisoner was directly connected to trade talks. It seems that while the UK government and the Libyan authorities had been working together to increase trade between the two countries the ongoing controversy regarding al-Megrahi has had a negative impact upon their short to medium term relationship. Will we ever find out the truth?
Share this..
Related stories
CBI calls for change to union rules
The CBI has today called for significant changes to current UK legislation regarding union strike action and the level of support needed from union members. This is certainly feels like a case of déjà vu with the last Conservative government having been accused of ripping up employment law and attacking the unions. So why is the CBI calling for changes? The CBI, the UK government and a gr...
Read MoreShould we be forced to pay for NHS healthcare?
There was a rather alarming piece in one of the Scottish newspapers earlier this week which seemed to suggest that the Scottish government, or at least the Scottish NHS, is actually considering charging patients up to £200 a night for staying in hospital! While there is no doubt that the cost of the NHS and other public services has increased dramatically over the last 20 or 30 years, surely o...
Read MoreSainsbury's reports best ever Christmas and plans for 4000 new jobs
Despite struggling to regain the industry name which it once held many years ago, Sainbury's has surprised analysts by reporting its best ever Christmas trading period. The reported surge in activity across the Sainsbury stores has been accompanied by news of expansion and an extra 4000 jobs across the UK. This comes a time when Marks & Spencer, amongst others, has announced job cuts in the region...
Read MoreAre worldwide money markets still the key to recovery?
After a brief period of confidence in the UK and worldwide economies, the last couple of days have seen a significant injection of realism into the arena. More and more companies and more and more financial institutions around the world are suggesting that money markets are the key to recovery and so far they have not responded as hoped.
In simple terms, until there is a return of c...
The regulator bites back
It has been revealed that a number of the U.K.'s major banking institutions could see a doubling of their regulatory levy with suggestions that some banks could pay between £10 million and £20 million a year to the regulator. This would appear to be the price which the industry is paying for a period of reckless investment and risk taking. However, even before the proposed levy changes have been...
Read More