Washington - US Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ), the member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee who led an investigation into the release of convicted terrorist Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi, today issued a statement in response to news that al-Megrahi was filmed attending a rally in support of Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi's government.
"Seeing Abdelbaset al-Megrahi at a Qaddafi rally 20 months after Scottish authorities released him under the pretense that he had only 3 months to live, is another chapter in a sad story that saw governments put the interests of oil companies ahead of justice," said Senator Menendez. "I will continue to work to ensure that any new government in Libya cooperates with efforts to extradite Mr. al-Megrahi to the United States to pay for his crimes and also cooperates with any ongoing investigations into the Pan Am bombing or other terror attacks against Americans by Qaddafi."
"It is gratifying, however, to see that the Cameron government now acknowledges that the medical diagnosis that formed the basis for Mr. al-Megrahi's release was 'pretty much worthless' and that pressure from the UK government on the Scottish government was a factor in the convicted terrorist being let go," Menendez continued.
Until now, the UK government has refused to acknowledge their role in pressuring the Scottish government to release Megrahi. British, Scottish and BP officials had refused to participate in a hearing the Senator chaired on the subject in July 2010.
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