Lockerbie bomber Megrahi living in luxury villa six months after being at deaths door

By Andrew Alderson and Robert Mendick Published: 9:00PM GMT twenty February 2010

Megrahi: The ultimate avowal will scent most of the kin of those who died in the explosve explosion in Dec 1988 Photo: AFP

Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi, who is pang from depot prostate cancer, no longer receives sanatorium diagnosis after finale the march of chemotherapy that he had been since after returning to his homeland last August.

Professor Karol Sikora, the London-based alloy who carefully thought about Megrahi and likely he would be passed by last October, certified this week end that the actuality the bomber is still alive competence be "difficult" for the family groups of the 270 victims of the attack.

Gaddafi calls for jihad opposite Switzerland Lockerbie bomber inform vicious of Kenny MacAskill undermined by narrow-minded row Lockerbie bomber "missing" Lockerbie hearing was an try to stop punish attacks Release Lockerbie bomber healing reports, contend Tories Lockerbie bomber defies doctors" prophecy of genocide

The ultimate avowal will scent most of the kin of those who died in the explosve explosion in Dec 1988 when Pan Am Flight 103 exploded in midst air over Lockerbie, Scotland, murdering 243 passengers, sixteen organisation and eleven people on the ground.

Most did not wish Megrahi expelled and they suspected he would live longer than the likely 3 months.

The Sunday Telegraph referred to last Sep that the Libyan supervision had paid for the healing justification that helped Megrahi, 57, to be released. The Libyans had speedy doctors to contend he had usually 3 months to live.

The hold up outlook of Megrahi was consequential because, underneath Scottish rules, prisoners can be liberated on merciful drift usually if they are deliberate to have this volume of time, or less, to live.

Kenny MacAskill, the Scottish Justice Secretary, ruled last Aug that Megrahi should be freed. Megrahi"s recover came after Libyan leaders warned that remunerative oil and traffic deals with Britain would be cancelled if the bomber died in jail.

One heading prostate cancer dilettante expel critical disbelief yesterday on the knowledge of presaging that Megrahi had usually 3 months to live when a studious still had to bear chemotherapy. Dr Chris Parker pronounced it was intensely formidable to give an correct augury for particular patients. "Studies show experts are really bad at perplexing to envision how prolonged an particular studious will live for," he warned.

Megrahi perceived the chemotherapy drug Docetaxel traffic name Taxotere prior to prolonged after returning to Libya.

Dr Parker, who is with the Institute of Cancer Research and the Royal Marsden Hospital, said: "The normal augury for presence after Docetaxel would be twelve months.

"It can change enormously but it would be really surprising to live over dual years."

Doctors in Libya supply monthly healing reports to Scottish authorities who can verbalise to Megrahi at your convenience they want. The conditions of his early recover outline he contingency not leave Libya.

Megrahi, is right away vital in a atmospheric two-storey villa with his mother and their five grown-up immature kids in a moneyed suburb of Tripoli, the Libyan capital.

The skill has a atmospheric grassed area and an area where the family erects a large tent to perform visitors for celebrations.

The skill has a security embankment and there is mostly a uniformed military military officer sitting on a white chair outside.

The Megrahis, who are piece of a distinguished tribe, are well off and it is accepted that his family was paid estimable remuneration by the Libyan Government after he was locked up for life.

They are well known to have urged Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, the Libyan leader, to get Megrahi, a former Libyan comprehension agent, liberated from his jail.

Prof Sikora, one of the examining doctors who was paid a consultancy price last Jul to inspect Megrahi, told The Sunday Telegraph this weekend: "My report from Tripoli is that it"s not going to be prolonged [before Megrahi dies].

"They stopped any active diagnosis in Dec and he has only been going downhill really solemnly at home. He is on high doses of hypnotic [a painkiller] and it"s any day now."

Prof Sikora pronounced that he suspected that Megrahi was still alive since he had perceived a "psychological" progress from returning to his homeland and being reunited with his family.

"It"s wild him to have a conspicuous [short-term] recovery," he said. "It"s difficult. The preference offering by the minute of the law was possibly 3 months to live, or nothing. You couldn"t have a shifting scale."

Some prostate cancer patients have lived for years longer that their doctors predicted.

Prof Sikora pronounced it was only probable that Megrahi would be alive in multiform years time but added: "It"s rarely unlikely. There is a 90 per cent possibility he will die in the subsequent couple of weeks.

"He is comparatively immature and has really aggressive, fast-moving disease."

Megrahi has regularly denied any impasse in the Lockerbie bombing. He withdrew his second interest opposite self-assurance only dual days prior to he was authorised to lapse to Libya.

Those close to him contend he did so reluctantly since he was assured it would urge his chances of being liberated from a Scottish jail.

Megrahi could have been expelled on merciful drift but dropping his interest but he could not have been liberated underneath a restrained sell programme if authorised movement was ongoing.

Until the last moment, the authorities done it transparent they were deliberation both options.

Professor Sikora had a summary to the kin of the Lockerbie tragedy who are hurt by Megrahi"s release: "The peculiarity of his hold up is not great he is a failing man.

"Quite frankly, as an action of mercy, it is improved that he dies at home rather than in prison."

However, one source concerned in monitoring Megrahi"s health referred to the bomber"s condition has got no worse in the past 6 months.

The source said: "Megrahi is still the same as ever. His condition has not deteriorated. There is no pointer of him failing any time nonetheless but who knows? It"s all unpredictable."