Lockerbie lawyer calls on UN's Annan for help

The lawyer of the Libyan defendants in the Lockerbie case Ibrahim Al Ghawil called on the UN secretary general Kofi Annan to study a proposal which suggests holding their trial in Lahai according to Scottish law and to submit this proposal to the Security Council.

Al Ghawil said that the problem is not with the judicial system but agreeing on a solution that guarantees a fair trial. He specified the conditions for such a trial: it should be held away from the political and media condemnation prevailing intensively in the US and Britain and away from biased jurors who will be affected more by political and media condemnations than by laws.

Al Ghawil added that he will try to nullify any procedure or attempt to hand over the suspects to any other country because it violates Libyan and international laws.

He called on UN Secretary General Kofi Annan to request a group of consultants to study the idea of holding the trial in Lahai with a group of jurors headed by a Scottish chief of justice.