The UN observer to the Lockerbie proceedings, Dr Hans Kochler, has expressed his unease at the evident complicity of the Maltese government in accepting the discredited chain of events which was claimed in the Zeist trial.

"I never really understood why the government of Malta did so little to reject these allegations and to defend the integrity of the country's civil aviation system,” Kochler said.

According to the Crown case, a suitcase containing a bomb was loaded at Malta’s Luqa airport and thereafter transferred onto Pan Am103 at Frankfurt airport. They alleged that clothing fragments could be traced to a shop in Malta.

"The court did not come up with any convincing argument that Mr Al-Megrahi is the one who bought the clothes at the shop in Malta and that the 'bomb suitcase' was loaded at Luqa Airport," Kochler added.

Kochler also called on the Scottish Government to release Megrahi on interim liberation whilst the appeal continues.

“The Scottish authorities can reconcile the imperatives of the rule of law and of humanity and grant the appellant compassionate release while the appeal goes on. In a situation where there are serious doubts whether he is guilty as charged, and where the public is confronted with an increasing number of shocking revelations about the mishandling of the case by the judiciary, tampering with evidence, and so on, it is appropriate to make such a step.

“The international public, including the people of Malta, deserve to know the truth - the full and uncensored truth - about the chain of events that led to the explosion of the American jetliner over Lockerbie."