Oil diplomacy in Megrahi release?

Even as the British Foreign Office denied the claims, Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi was hinting at the same allegation made by his son, Seif al-Islam, hours earlier.

“This step [Megrahi’s release] is for the benefit of relations between Britain and Libya, and relations of personal friendship between me and them, and it will certainly be positively reflected in all fields of co-operation between the two countries,” Col Gaddafi is reported to have said during his first meeting with the convicted Lockerbie bomber.

The UK government has vigorously denied that any under-the-table dealings were struck to secure Megrahi’s release from jail on compassionate grounds.

However, this will do little to ease suspicions among its critics among the UK and US public that a deal was struck behind closed doors.

BBC