Gaddafi son tells of prisoner deal

Aug 28 2009

The son of Colonel Gaddafi has claimed Libya's original prisoner transfer deal with the UK had targeted the Lockerbie bomber and was directly linked to talks on trade and oil.

But, in an interview with The Herald newspaper, Saif al-Islam al-Gaddafi denied it had anything to do with the eventual release last week of Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al Megrahi.

Mr al-Gaddafi said the "deal in the desert" more than two years ago - which saw an agreement signed between Tony Blair and Libya allowing prisoner transfers - specifically targeted Megrahi.

However, speaking at his home near Tripoli, he added that Megrahi's name was never mentioned.

He told the Herald: "For the last seven to eight years we have been trying very hard to transfer Mr Megrahi to Libya to serve his sentence here and we have tried many times in the past to sign the PTA (prisoner transfer agreement) without mentioning Mr Megrahi, but it was obvious we were targeting Mr Megrahi and the PTA was on the table all the time.

"It was part of the bargaining deal with the UK. When Blair came here we signed the agreement. We didn't mention Mr Megrahi. We signed an oil deal at the same time. The commerce and politics and deals were all with the PTA."

Last week Megrahi, who has terminal prostate cancer, was allowed to leave Greenock prison to go home to die.

It caused a storm of controversy on both sides of the Atlantic with many critical of Scottish justice secretary Kenny MacAskill's decision to release Megrahi on compassionate grounds.

Scenes of the man convicted of murdering 270 people in the December 1988 bombing of Pan Am 103 returning to Libya to a hero's welcome sparked international condemnation.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown said he had been "repulsed" by the scenes.