Court mulls Lockerbie document options

EDINBURGH, Scotland, May 27 (UPI) -- Scotland's advocate general says he wants the country's appeals court to discuss a document related to the Lockerbie bomber case in a closed-door hearing.

Advocate General Neil Davidson suggested the three-judge Appeal Court in Edinburgh appoint a "special representative" in the form of a security-vetted lawyer to stand in for the legal team of convicted bomber Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi at the hearing, The Sun reported Tuesday.

Lawyers for Al Megrahi, a Libyan who was convicted in 2001 of involvement in the explosion of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie in 1988, killing 270 people, claim the document, which originated from an unidentified foreign government, could contain information that exonerates their client.

However, the British government has lodged a public interest immunity plea to keep the document secret. The court is weighing how to deal with the issue during a three-day hearing.