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Lockerbie Bomber Freed for Oil: UK Official

By Neal Colgrass, Newser Staff

Posted Sep 4, 2009 5:35 PM CDT

(Newser) – A top British official said today that Scotland sent the Lockerbie bomber to Libya to facilitate a multi-million-dollar oil deal. Contradicting PM Gordon Brown, Justice Secretary Jack Straw told the Telegraph that the release of Abdelbaset al-Megrahi helped BP sign an agreement with Libya. "I’m unapologetic about that," Straw said. "Libya was a rogue state. We wanted to bring it back into the fold."

"And yes, that included trade because trade is an essential part of it and subsequently there was the BP deal." But he said Brown was not privy to the agreement. Documents released this week showed that Straw accepted Lybia's demand that al-Megrahi be included in a prisoner transfer deal, after BP said excluding the bomber would hurt its business interests.

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Jack Straw, Britain's Secretary of State for Justice, arrives for a cabinet meeting at 10 Downing Street in London, Tuesday June 2, 2009. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)

Britain's Prime Minister Gordon Brown, left, prepares to chair a cabinet meeting. Seated with him are Justice Minister Jack Straw, second left, and Environment Secretary Hilary Benn. (AP Photo/ Johnny Green/Pool)

Britain's Lord Chancellor and Justice Minister Jack Straw arrives for his swearing in ceremony at the Royal Courts of Justice in London Wednesday July 4, 2007. (AP Photo/Fiona Hanson, PA)

Britain's Lord Chancellor Jack Straw speaks to the media after a meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan, not pictured, in Ankara, Turkey, Friday, Nov. 23, 2007. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici)

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Like many others, we were aware that a delay might have negative consequences for UK commercial interests, including ratification of BP’s exploration agreement. - British Justice Secretary Jack Straw

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