the SCRO fingerprint evidence was rejected, and she was acquitted. A senior Scottish police officer, James Mackay QPM, was appointed in June 2000 by the Crown Office to investigate the matter. Mackay's interim report in August 2000 suggested that the evidence given in court by the four SCRO personnel amounted to 'collective manipulation and collective collusion'. As a result, the four fingerprint officers were immediately suspended by SCRO, and Scottish ministers were informed. Mackay's final confidential report was presented to the Lord Advocate in October 2000. The report remained under wraps until extracts were published in the Scotsman newspaper in February 2006. Mackay had concluded that 'cover-up and criminality' had taken place at SCRO and recommended that the four fingerprint officers should be prosecuted. However, the Scotsman also revealed that Boyd had decided in September 2001 to take no action in response to Mackay's recommendation, and the four SCRO officers were reinstated. In June 2007, the same newspaper raised questions over to what extent Boyd's decision not to prosecute the SCRO personnel in the autumn of 2000 was related to the then ongoing Pan Am Flight 103 bombing trial, where he was leading the prosecution. With the eyes of the world focused upon the Scottish judicial system, it could have undermined the Crown's case to have the SCRO scrutinized and its fingerprint experts prosecuted for covering up acts of criminality. Veteran Lockerbie campaigner and retired Labour MP Tam Dalyell asked Boyd 'to consider his position', while Michael Russell MSP insisted that Boyd could not continue as Lord Advocate. Boyd's successor as Lord Advocate, Elish Angiolini, has agreed to appear before the Fingerprint Inquiry which began on 2 June 2009. College of Justice On 1 June 2012, it was announced Boyd would be appointed a Senator of the College of Justice. On 7 December 2021, it was announced that Boyd would be appointed to the Inner House of the Court of Session with effect from 5 January 2022. See also Pan Am Flight 103 Pan Am Flight 103 bombing trial Investigation into the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 Pan Am Flight 103 conspiracy theories Hans Köchler's Lockerbie trial observer mission List of Scottish Executive Ministerial Teams Lord Fraser of Carmyllie Publications Boyd contributed to a book The Legal Aspects of Devolution published just before the 1997 general election. References External links Police investigations of "politically sensitive" or high profile crimes