The government turns its attention to the Fletcher case

The Lockerbie bomber, Abdel Basset al-Megrahi, is at death’s door. His relatives told journalists that he is ‘comatose’ at a family house in Tripoli. There have been calls to extradite Megrahi in recent days; last week, the ubiquitous William Hague said that he hoped the Scottish authorities were considering the matter. The Libyan National Transitional has since indicated that Megrahi will remain in the country to die. Mohammed al-Alagi, the NTC justice minister, said: “We will not give any Libyan citizen to the West. Al-Megrahi has already been judged once and he will not be judged again … We do not hand over Libyan citizens, (Muammar) Gaddafi does.”

Andrew Mitchell, the international development secretary, seemed to accept the NTC’s stance on Megrahi this morning. He told Radio 5, “In the case of al-Megrahi, he has been through a legal process and, as we have found out overnight, his life does appear to be drawing to a close.”

He was less equivocal on the subject of Yvonne Fletcher’s alleged killer, Abulmagid Salah Almeri. Mitchell said, “In the case of the assassin of Yvonne Fletcher, there has been no legal process, and I think a new regime in Tripoli, the NTC delivering both a new constitution and credible elections within the eight month period they have set themselves, there’s plenty of room for discussion about a situation where there hasn’t been any legal process at all so far.”

Mitchell added that resolving the Fletcher case “is a high priority for the government.” The NTC’s rhetoric is uncompromising and unhelpful, as the organisation is keen to distance itself from the West and assert its independence. But there are causes for optimism with regards to the Fletcher case. The Guardian quotes Guma el-Gamaty, the NTC’s UK co-ordinator, saying, “Nobody can rule out anything at the moment; the possibility [of a British trial] is there. But first of all investigations need to be concluded. Somebody has to be identified as the killer…Obviously everyone wants justice; it’s just a matter of when and how and whether the actual killer has been identified.”