On 19 August 2009 , MacAskill rejected an application by Libya to transfer to their custody Abdelbaset al-Megrahi , convicted of the Pan Am Flight 103 bomb that killed 270 people , acknowledging that " the American families and Government had an expectation or were led to believe that there would be no prisoner transfer . " MacAskill authorised al-Megrahi 's release on compassionate grounds . Megrahi had served 8 ½ years of a life sentence , but had developed terminal prostate cancer . The Justice Secretary has discretionary authority to order such a release , and MacAskill took sole responsibility for the decision . Megrahi died on 20 May 2012
Pan Am Flight 103
Pan Am Flight 103
Kenny MacAskill