While we are waiting for the three judges in Camp Zeist to announce their verdict, there is still time to have a quick say. On this page you can read all the last words, comments, ideas and opinions from protagonists in the Lockerbie bombing trial and/or the long story into the crash of Pan Am flight 103, as well as read and view the many important international newspaper articles and editorials before any verdict is announced.
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Excerpt:
"At the end of this trial, if the defendants are convicted and the convictions are upheld on appeal, only the most biased of commentators will be able to claim that the trial was unjust. As Justice Robert Jackson expressed in his eloquent opening speech at the Nuremberg Trial: "We must summon such detachment and intellectual integrity to our task that this trial will commend itself to posterity as fulfilling humanity's aspirations to do justice."

Donna Artzt, law professor from Syracuse University, talks about the legal impact of the Lockerbie bombing trial.

Think about it."

Daniel Cohen
Cape May, New Jersey, USA
Pan Am 103-relative and trial activist,
co-author of the book "Pan Am 103 The Bombing, The Betrayals,  And A Breaved Family´s Search for Justice"

And to the Los Angeles Times, January 19, 2001:
"At moments it seems we've definitely won, and at moments it feels as if we've definitely lost," said Daniel Cohen of Cape May, N.J., whose only daughter, Theodora, died in the bombing. "The case looked good to us," he said. "It is a circumstantial case that would work in the U.S., where murderers can go to jail without a body. The question is whether the Scottish judges need fingerprints and DNA and video of the defendants putting the bomb in the bag. It was a good case, but is it enough?"

As I have said from the time my book was published in 1993, it was not Libya who blew up the aircraft, it was the PFLP-GC.

I pray justice will be done."

Les Coleman
41 West 72nd St  Apt 7-A
New York, NY 10023
co-author of the book "The Trail of the Octopus"

e-mail: lescoleman43@hotmail.com

Excerpt:
"In case of a "NOT GUILTY" verdict, the equation of the calculus of propability, will start working. This (equation) will support the justified doubt about the MST-13 timer fragment, as well as the Toshiba 8016-fragment, as well as (supporting the justified doubt) that the entire indictment was manipulated and only served the wish to drag Libya into the Lockerbie-attack !"

Read Edwin Bollier´s latest report on the Lockerbie bombing trial - before the verdict (03/01/2001) 

Excerpt:
"The truth is simply not allowed to penetrate the ever thikening fog. I wonder if the "trial of the century" may not one day soon be called "the fraud of the century".

Anthony Meli, Pan Am 103-crash investigator, has his final say on the evidence of the Lockerbie bombing trial, before the verdict. 

Excerpts:
"The prosecution has not proved the Malta connection hence its difficult to substantiate the case against the two Libyans.  In my opinion the verdict will be a not proven one if not the not guilty one."

"If the person that bought the items from Mary's House was living at the Holiday Inn Hotel as the prosecution is claiming, less than five minutes away from the hotel, was it wise for the person who bought the items to walk to the taxi stand which is the same distance from the hotel and in the opposite direction?  This point is very puzzling a lot and if the case were being heard here in Malta, the defence team would have a field day."

Joe Mifsud,
joemif@keyworld.net
Maltese investigator, journalist,
and author of  the recent published book, "Lockerbie-Before the Verdict"

Mohammed Al Megrahi
Brother of the accused Abdelbaset Al Megrahi
as quoted in The Sunday Herald, 14/01/01

Excerpt:
"The trial's media center is rife with rumors that the three judges are split 2 to 1 in favor of acquittal, but the source for such rumors seems to be mere guesses by lawyers inside the courtroom about their irritation at certain arguments. "

The New York Times (US) - January 12, 2001

Excerpt:
"When the Lockerbie trial finally limps towards its end this week it will be with a whimper rather than a bang. Somehow or other, the dying days of
a court case about mass murder and international terrorism have been muted to the point of anti-climax....Among those still paying attention, speculation is rife as to what the verdict will be. Gossip has it that two of the three judges - there is no jury - favour acquitting or handing down not proven verdicts for both defendants, while the third wants to convict Megrahi and free Fhimah."

The Sunday Herald (UK) - January 14, 2001

And 2 other Lockerbie-articles from the Sunday Herald, January 14:

Excerpt:
"These are moments of calm before the coming judicial storm when the verdict is delivered and the world suddenly sits up and takes notice. The reasonable expectation - shared by virtually every legal observer - is that the Libyans will be acquitted, either by a straightforward not guilty or by the uniquely Scottish option of not proven, which would be more technically accurate since the defence declined to offer any evidence because it believes the prosecution case is inconclusive."

Scotland on Sunday (UK) - January 14, 2001

Two other Lockerbie-articles in Scotland On Sunday January 14:

Excerpt:
"Mr Taylor's final argument, during which he has pried away at every crack in what the prosecution admits is a circumstantial case, will end this week. Mr Fhimah's counsel, Robert Keen QC, will finish before the end of the week, and then it will be over to the judges. In theory their verdict could take weeks, but most legal observers expect a much quicker conclusion.Even if both are convicted, however, and sentenced to life in the special suite prepared for them in Barlinnie prison, the question will linger: what has been the point of this trial?"

The Independent (UK) - January 14, 2001

And on January 19, 2001:
"It will be quite difficult living with the uncertainty... but having waited 12 years what's another few days?"; said Jim Swire, who lost his daughter Flora on the flight. "I'm very relieved I'm not a judge because the weight on their shoulders is sogreat now."

Obviously, were a guilty verdict to be handed down in the criminal case, the civil case would be far simpler. However, an acquittal or a "not proven" verdict will not affect the existence of continuation of the civil claims. It is important to remember that civil and criminal trials require significantly different burdens. While the Scottish criminal procedure requires the similar U.S. burden of "beyond a reasonable doubt", the U.S. civil burden is merely "more likely than not". Put in simplistic terms, the families of the victims of the Pan Am 103 bombing will merely need to prove that the evidence reveals by a 50.1% margin that the government of Libya was responsible, or played a role, in the December 21, 1988 bombing. Just as O.J. Simpson was finally held accountable through civil liability following his acquittal on criminal charges, so too might Libya."

Mark S. Zaid, Esq.
Attorney for some families of Pan Am 103 victims
Washington, D.C.

Excerpt:
"One hopes that the final verdict will erase all blame put on Malta. Our small island suffered greatly from what could be construed as a conspiracy from two large countries – Britain and Germany. We should remember that both countries failed to check the named luggage too. Now if one of them proved to be the guilty party… "

Jesmond Saliba
Journalist,
from the newspaper Malta Today, Malta
story printed January 17, 2001

"The long-awaited great news came all of a sudden after hearing more than 2 hundred of the prosecution witnesses who were recruited from all over the world to fabricate evidences against the Libyan suspects. Lockerbie was the CIA's masterpiece to revenge the humiliating defeat of the American fleet and capturing its biggest warship, Philadelphia, in Tripoli.

However, Syria's situation of refusing to submit the secret document which emphasized the innocence of its sisterly country which never refrained from supporting Syria's regime politically, financially and nationally.

Sensing the Libyan honesty and fairness as shown in not working for recruiting witnesses or fabricating evidences, the judges dropped out two accusations: conspirating for murder and violating air safety, and kept the killing charge. Legally speaking, it meant the collapse of the prosecution and of the testimonies of 240 witnesses. It also meant the innocence of the Libyan government which was made responsible by the Zionist-American media services. The charge of "conspirating", which was dropped off, referred to the Libyan regime which had political, economic and social reasons for conspirating. The "violating of air safety" charge, which was also dropped off, was an evidence of the innocence of the Libyan suspects and the collapse of all the allegations that were aimed at accusing Libyan security services.

Justice triumphed to acquit Libya and brand Clinton's decision, issued two days ago, to prolong Washington's economic sanctions against Libya, in view of its danger on the American national security, which gave America the right to confiscate the Libyan money. In addition to his Zionism, Clinton proved that he was so careless that he acted against his country's interests and was so recklessly determinant to abuse his history during his last reign hours and days.

Now, the lawyers must sieze this opportunity and prove their eligibility by submitting legal refutations to show that the killing charge was built up on the two dropped off charges.

The good news will delight the families of the two suspects and emphasize their deep conviction of the innocence of their sons who were made responsible for a crime they did not commit. They remained entrapped for 7 years by such conscienceless intelligence services and even they were convicted before trial when the American-Zionist media services claimed that they were behind the bombing by sending an explosive bag, by itself, to Frankfurt to be put afterwards in the bombed PAN Am!!!.

In view of the absurdity of this story, the hopes are big that the killing charge will be dropped off in the light of the absence of personal goals and justifications that may motivate them to kill innocent people. Justice will triumph for the suspects who must be in grief for being involved in such a baseless accusation which was orchestrated by some secret services although they were believed to be the real doer since they knew in advance that the plane would be bombed and prevented their officials from continuing the flight."

by Ahmed AlHouni
editor-in-chief of AL ARAB
London-based Arabic daily newspaper 

Excerpt:
"The biggest international police effort in history rests on weak evidence, say legal observers....legal observers say the prosecution had a difficult task. "The case has been weak all along," says Grant. "That is no fault of anyone other than the fact that there are no eyewitnesses" to the way the bomb found its way onto Pan Am 103, "and it all happened a very long time ago.""

The Christian Science Monitor - January 19, 2001

Excerpt:
"Not many people believe that Fhimah and Al Megrahi will miss out on the heroes' welcome. The evidence on which they could be convicted ultimately appeared flimsy. The two prosecutors, Colin Boyd and Alistair Campbell, have even admitted themselves that the evidence is only circumstantial. To find Fhimah and Al Megrahi guilty would require more than circumstantial evidence. The prosecutors have mentioned a lot of small threads that together form a convincing thick cable. On that basis they claim that the two Libyans smuggled a case containing a bomb onto the aircraft in Malta. But the only fact that has definitely been established  is that Fhimah and Al Megrahi had flown to Malta from the Libyan capital, Tripoli, the day before the incident. "

Radio Netherlands - January 19, 2001

"A not guilty verdict would be hard because we'd be left with the question of who really was responsible. But I can't begin to contemplate how I would cope with a not proven verdict. It would mean the two men were probably guilty, but walked away withoutany punishment."

Aphrodite Tsairis,
her 20-year-old daughter Alexia was killed in the disaster (19/01/2001)

Excerpts:
"This has been a show trial and for me there will never be justice."
"These Libyans are scapegoats and the whole thing has been a waste of time."
"Do they have the right people? This is the question nagging me".
"They should have had it over and done with long before now."
"We were looking for justice at the time when we were raw and angry, but now I don't think the verdict will make any difference to me or the people of Lockerbie."
"Even a life for a life wouldn't matter to me."
"This all boils down to politics. I would much rather a new hospital for Dumfries had been built with the huge amount of money spent on the trial."

The Sunday Mirror (UK) - January 21, 2001
Quoting the citizens of Lockerbie, Scotland

Excerpt:
"Megrahi not guilty  - Fhimah not guilty"....
"A Libyan TV chief has listened to all 600 hours of the case and is sure the men are innocent."

The Daily Record (UK) - January 19, 2001

Excerpt:
"It is a reasonable bet that the court will plump for a not proven verdict. The prosecution, it seems, has not corralled enough direct evidence to prove guilt beyond reasonable doubt. Much of the evidence, while convincing, is circumstantial. And some of the star prosecution witnesses, including a Libyan informant for the CIA, have wobbled while testifying. It is, however, a complicated and confusing case, and the Scottish judges may still send the two Libyans to Glasgow's Barlinnie prison."

eCountries (Intnl.) - January 26, 2001 

Excerpt:
"It is truly guesswork," said Suse Lowenstein, whose son Alexander was killed when the plane exploded over Lockerbie, Scotland, killing 270 people. "We are afraid if they come back on the 31st it would be a 'not guilty' verdict.....Regardless of what the verdict may be, Monetti, president of Victims of Pan Am Flight 103, a family support group, said he hopes the trial is close to an end. The 12-year  investigation into the origin of the terrorist bomb that blew apart the plane has caused victims' families a terrible stress, he added.  "I'm getting real tired of this thing," Monetti said from his home in New Jersey. "We used to have lives before this."

University Wire (USA) - January 22, 2001 

Excerpt:
"...Overall this has been an unspectacular if rigorous public examination of all the evidence against the Libyans - the first time this has happened since they were named as the prime suspects by the Scottish prosecuting authorities nine years ago.  There are a few here at Camp Zeist who regard this trial as a put up job - a political fix engineered by the United Nations to try, then acquit the accused and so help bring an end to Libya's international isolation.  To others, it is part of a conspiracy by Britain and the United States to shift blame away from Palestinians linked to Syria - an ally in the Gulf War of 1991 and an important player in the quest for peace in the Middle East. "

BBC NEWS
Andre Cassell reporting from Camp Zeist - January 24, 2001

Professor John P Grant (24 January) is correct in stating that the whole Lockerbie case revolves round the Maltese connection. This connection, however, depends on the validity of the identification of the small (finger-nail sized) piece of printed circuit board which, the prosecution claims, is from an electronic timer. The identification was carried out by Tom Thurman, a so-called FBI scientist, whose only qualification is in political science. He was later dismissed for having fabricated evidence in other cases.  The defence questioned the reason for an alteration in the labelling of  this exhibit and expressed doubt about the provenance of the item itself.

An electrical engineer, employed by the CIA, appeared as a witness for the prosecution and described the two basic types of timers suitable for the initiation of the detonation of a bomb: either an electronic type or, in effect, a simple DIY type using components available in a radio shop. When he was asked which type was used in the Pan Am atrocity, he replied that he did not know. The Malta connection is based on the assumption that the Libyans had access to the electronic timers.

If the Lockerbie bomb was of the same type as the bombs found in Germany, it would have had a barometric pressure switch initiating a simple timer. The time delay found by the German police gave a delay  roughly equivalent to the time taken by the plane from the point at which cabin (and hold) pressure was reduced until it reached Lockerbie. It is, therefore, possible that the bomb commenced its journey at Heathrow, or was primed at Heathrow by the insertion of a short-circuiting plug in the aerial socket."

DAVID ROLLO
Beaufort Drive, Glasgow
Letter to THE SCOTSMAN, January 30, 2001

Whatever the verdict in the Lockerbie bombing trial on Wednesday, the United States cannot soon drop all of the sanctions built up over two decades of conflict with Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.

ACQUITTAL EMBARRASSMENT

A U.S. State Department official on Tuesday declined to speculate on how the United States would react. "We are going to respond when we have a verdict and have had a chance to study the court's opinion," he said. "The question of lifting sanctions is not directly linked to a verdict in the trial. It is tied to Libya's compliance with its obligations under the pertinent United Nations Security Council resolutions," the official added.  If the verdict is guilty, two secondary disputes could hold up any rapprochement between Washington and Tripoli.

Opponents of rapprochement, among the Lockerbie families and in the U.S. Congress, could press for vast amounts of compensation for the families, and for prosecution of Libyan officials, on the grounds the suspects did not act alone.

If the verdict is not guilty or "not proven" -- a third option open to Scottish courts, the Bush administration, just 10 days into its term, will face a major embarrassment. It will have to explain why the United States led the campaign for sanctions against Libya when it did not have the evidence to prove the Libyans were  responsible. Libya could make its own demand for compensation for its financial losses.

The families of the Lockerbie dead, who have the ear of many influential members of Congress, would want the U.S. government to find out who was really responsible. They could revive the claim that it was the work of Palestinians working for Iran -- one of the first theories for the bombing.

Reuters - January 30, 2001

Excerpt:
"While their case may lack eyewitnesses, Scottish authorities have painted a picture with the detail of a good spy novel, complete with assertions of Libyan government complicity, double agents, and high-tech gadgetry."

The Bergen Record (US - NJ local paper) - January 30, 2001

Excerpts:
"Some Lockerbie residents (are) unaware that the verdict (is) due to be delivered. "What trial is that?" asked one woman. The years that have elapsed since the New York-bound Flight 103 passenger jet exploded six miles above their heads have allowed the community to rebuild itself both mentally and physically......."It was all so long ago -- most people didn't know it (the trial) was coming to a conclusion," said Sue Crowhurst, who owns a petshop in the middle of this community of 4,000 people...."Most Americans have only heard of three places in Scotland -- Edinburgh, Loch Ness and Lockerbie. That can't be right," one local hotelier said. "

Reuters - January 30, 2001
Talking about the Lockerbie citizens and the end of the trial