Scottish Court in the Netherlands
- Scottish Court in the Netherlands
The Scottish court in the Netherlands was the name given to the special High Court of Justiciary set up under Scots law in a disused United States Air Force base called Camp Zeist in Utrecht, in the Netherlands, for the trial of two Libyans charged with 270 counts of murder in connection with the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, on December 21, 1988. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/1870685.stm Uncertain future for Camp Zeist] ]
Neutral country
The court was established in a neutral country as part of a deal between Colonel Muammar Gaddafi of Libya and the British government, before Gaddafi would allow the extradition of the two accused.
UK territory
Camp Zeist was declared sovereign territory of the United Kingdom, governed by Scots law, under a treaty signed by the British and Dutch governments. The base was guarded during the trial by Scottish police officers, and the two accused were attended to by Scottish prison officers. The site contained a courtroom, a prison for the accused, and offices for the press and families of the victims.
Verdict
The court convicted Abdel Basset Ali al-Megrahi of murder on January 31, 2001. The second accused, Lamin Khalifah Fhimah, was acquitted. Megrahi's appeal was also held at the court (the High Court of Justiciary is the highest court of appeal in the Scottish criminal justice system), and was rejected on March 14, 2002. The site was then decommissioned and returned to the Dutch government. Megrahi is serving his sentence at Greenock prison in Inverclyde, where he continues to protest his innocence.
From September 2003, Megrahi's conviction was under review by the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission, which reported its findings on June 28, 2007 and granted Megrahi leave for a second appeal against conviction.
ee also
*Pan Am Flight 103 bombing trial
*Hans Köchler's Lockerbie trial observer mission
References
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