WATCH: Former Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill has no regrets over freeing the Lockerbie bomber

As we approach the 30th anniversary of the Lockerbie bombing, the man who released the only person ever convicted in connection with the atrocity says he has no regrets over his decision.

270 people died when Pan Am flight 103 was blown up and the wreckage fell onto the town in Dumfries and Galloway, 259 on board the jumbo jet and 11 people on the ground.

In 2001 following trial at a special court in Camp Ziest in the Netherlands, three Scottish judges convicted the former head of security at Libyan Arab Airlines, Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, of 270 counts of murder and sentenced him to life in prison.

But just eight years later he returned home to Libya, having been freed on compassionate grounds after contracting terminal prostate cancer.

That decision was made by then Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill, who says he acted in accordance with Scotland’s laws and practices.

In his only broadcast interview to mark the 30th anniversary of the disaster, Kenny MacAskill also told us he was under pressure from both the UK and American governments to release Megrahi, due to oil deals they had in place with Libya: “I had only been Justice Secretary for about a fortnight when it became quite clear that the United Kingdom were seeking to enter into a prisoner transfer agreement with Libya.

“There was only one Libyan prisoner in Scotland, I think it was the only Libyan prisoner we’d ever had, and it was quite clear that this was the deal for Meghrahi. I think the Labour (UK) Government had forgotten that devolution had occurred, they’d forgotten that the SNP were the administration, and they’d simply assumed that it would go through.

“Our government objected to that, but it was made quite clear by Jack Straw, who was the Justice Secretary of the United Kingdom, that they were going to do this prisoner transfer agreement. The reason they were going to do it was that they were keen for BP to get an oil deal with the Libyans, and they’d made it quite clear if there was no prisoner transfer agreement relating to Meghrahi there would be no deal, and it would go to the Americans.

“I vividly recall the telephone conversation I had with Jack Straw who made it quite clear that this was non-negotiable, it was for the interests of British Petroleum.”

But despite the political pressure, and his belief that Megrahi was involved in the bombing, Mr MacAskill maintains that the decision to grant his release was the right one.

Al Megrahi's conviction is currently being studied by the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission.

There’ll be much more on the 30th anniversary of the Lockerbie bombing, both online and on air, on Friday December 21st.