Liberal Democrats have called on Bury South MP Ivan Lewis to explain his role in the freeing of Lockerbie bomber Abdelbset al-Megrahi.

It has been reported that Mr Lewis, Minister with responsibility for Libya, wrote a letter to Scottish Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill just two weeks before the decision to free the bomber, saying that he hoped that MacAskill “would consider the Libyan application” to free al-Megrahi. According to reports the Scottish government saw this as an attempt to influence their decision.

Vic D’Albert, Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate for Bury South said “I’m sure everyone in Bury was shocked by the scenes in Libya giving the Lockerbie bomber a hero’s welcome home. Although al-Megrahi has only a few months to live, I was very disturbed to hear that our own MP may have interfered with the decision made by the Scottish Justice Secretary which granted him his freedom.”

The decision to free the only man convicted of Britain’s deadliest peacetime act of terrorism has prompted suspicion and anger across the world.

Vic D’Albert continued “I urge Ivan Lewis to explain his actions at once. He represents the people of Bury South, and we have a right to know what role our MP has played in this controversial decision, and indeed why he was involved at all. This is a Scottish matter and I would be very worried if any Minister, let alone our own MP, was interfering in this way.”