Two days ago lawyers acting for Abdul Baset Ali al-Megrahi applied to the High Court in Edinburgh to abandon his appeal against conviction, thereby clearing the path legally for his release on compassionate grounds before next Friday. Ramadan in 2009 will start on Friday, the 21st of August and will continue for 30 days until Saturday, the 19th of September. The secret deal struck between Libya and the Scottish Justice Secretary, Kenny MacAskill, will see Al-Megrahi home in time for the start of the Ramadan celebrations. However, news of al-Megrahi's release will not be broken until he is back on Libyan soil.
Mr al-Megrahi will fly from Edinburgh to Heathrow on an internal flight and then from Heathrow to Tripoli on board a Libyan Arab Airlines plane.
Kenny MacAskillMy money is on Thursday 20th August...
