Mandy and the Lockerbie bomber and ANOTHER 'coincidence' in Corfu



Lord Mandelson faces the prospect of a sleaze investigation after he met Colonel Gaddafi's son days before it emerged that the Lockerbie bomber was to be freed.

Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, who is seen as the Libyan dictator's most likely successor, was also a guest of billionaire financiers Jacob and Nat Rothschild at their Corfu villa where the Business Secretary stayed a week.

A spokesman for Lord Mandelson confirmed he and Mr Gaddafi discussed the case of Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi, who is expected to be sent home by the end of the week.

Lord Mandelson discussed the Lockerbie bomber with Colonel Gaddafi's son Seif (right) during his holiday in Corfu

Officials in Scotland, where the final decision will be made, admitted there had been 'contact' with ministers and officials in London.

Lord Mandelson's spokesman said: 'Peter met Gaddafi's son in Corfu. Their stay coincided for one night. It was a fleeting conversation - two or three sentences.



'The subject was raised but Peter was unsighted on it and there was no follow through.

Set to be freed: Al Megrahi, who was convicted of the Lockerbie bombing

'This is a matter for the Scottish executive and certainly Peter Mandelson had no input into it.'

But MPs and campaigners pointed out that the peer has a history of making policy decisions that assist his wealthy friends.

Campaign group The Sunlight Centre for Open Politics has reported Lord Mandelson to Cabinet Secretary Sir Gus O'Donnell, calling for an investigation of whether he has breached the ministerial code of conduct.

That could prompt an inquiry by sleaze watchdog Sir Philip Mawer, the guardian of the code, which states that cabinet members must ensure they avoid anything that 'could reasonably be perceived' as a conflict between their personal affairs and their public duties.

The group's director Christopher Galley told the Mail: 'It is important for transparent government that this is investigated thoroughly to see if there have been any breaches of the ministerial code. It is important to air the whole thing.'

Tory frontbencher Chris Grayling said: 'It is quite extraordinary that on so many occasions events in Lord Mandelson's private life get mixed up with controversial political decisions.



'We all know his record as Labour's arch manipulator. Instead of the usual excuses, what we need is a full and detailed explanation of the nature of the discussions and what happened subsequently.'

'Fleeting conversation': Lord Mandelson met with Seif Gaddafi at a party thrown by Jacob Rothschild (pictured with the Business Secretary) in Corfu



LibDem MP Norman Baker said: 'The issue of Lockerbie is very sensitive for the families of the dead. The last thing we need is backchannel diplomacy conducted by Lord Mandelson.'

Lord Mandelson's spokesman said he is unrepentant, adding: 'He sees meeting these figures from business as entirely in keeping with his government post.'



A spokesman for Scotland's Justice Secretary, Kenny MacAskill, said that, as the Prisoner Transfer Agreement with Libya was struck by Westminster, 'you would expect that at some point there would have been contact with the UK Government'.

It would now be up to Mr MacAskill alone to determine the outcome, he added.





