The British government released the Lockerbie bomber from custody because of "overwhelming interests of the United Kingdom" -- most notably a lucrative oil deal, a new report shows.
Gordon Brown and the United Kingdom made the decision to release Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi to Libya after correspondence with the nation that indicates al-Megrahi was a key bargaining chip in an exploration deal with Libya and BP, according to the Sunday Times of London.
British generals considered transferring al-Megrahi back to Libya only after the nation requested al-Megrahi serve out his sentence in his home country in exchange for its participation in the some $22 billion oil and gas agreement.
"This is the strongest evidence yet that the British government has been involved for a long time in talks over al-Megrahi in which commercial considerations have been central to their thinking," said Edward Davey, the Liberal Democrat foreign affairs spokesman for the United Kingdom.
Read more: the Times of London
