Lockerbie trial verdicts due
CAMP ZEIST, Netherlands -- Three judges are due this morning to deliver their verdicts in a case that began 13 years ago and ended with one of the longest trials in legal history.
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Lockerbie verdict to come on Wednesday 31
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CNN's Richard Blystone: If either is guilty they will be taken to Scotland
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Lockerbie victim's relative John Mosey: A 'not proven' verdict would be the worst
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Two Libyans are accused of the bombing over Lockerbie, Scotland, of Pan Am Flight 103 and killing 270 people just before Christmas in 1988.
Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi, 48, and Al Amin Khalifa Fhimah, 44, have been on trial since May 3 last year at a special Scottish court sitting at Camp Zeist, near Utrecht, Holland. They both deny the charges.
The judges, sitting without a jury, have heard 84 days of evidence from 230 witnesses -- a total of 10,232 pages of court transcripts covering more than three million words.
They are due to return to court on Wednesday after considering their verdict nearly two weeks ago.
The prosecution says it has proven "beyond reasonable doubt" that they are guilty.
The two men were first accused of the atrocity in 1991 and Libya finally handed them over after nearly a decade of international wrangling which saw Libya hit by economic sanctions.
Under Scots Law, the trial judges have three verdicts to choose from -- guilty,
not guilty and not proven.
Many of the relatives of the victims have travelled to Holland for the decision.
CNN Senior Correspondent Richard Blystone said about a dozen relatives of victims were in the gallery on Tuesday when Lord Justice Sutherland said he and his two colleagues would give their verdict on Wednesday.
"Many relatives have said they don't expect much from the trial, least of all the full story of how the Lockerbie bomb was planted and why," Blystone said.
The Reverend John Mosey, whose 19-year-old daughter Helga died, said: "We've waited for a long time, we waited over eight years for a trial and have been out here at the trial for nearly a year."
Peter Lowenstein, whose 21-year-old son Alexander died, said: "I am happy that the verdict is being issued quickly rather than being dragged out.
"But I feel concerned about the speed of the verdict and fear it could mean the verdict will be the one we don't want - not guilty. We believe they are guilty and if they are acquitted we will continue to believe that."
The prosecution alleges that al-Megrahi, 48, and Fahima, 44, worked together to plant an unaccompanied suitcase containing a bomb, packed inside a Toshiba radio cassette recorder, on board an Air Malta flight at Luqa airport, Malta.
From there it was tagged to join doomed Flight 103 at Frankfurt and for onward transfer to New York via Heathrow.
Once the verdict has been announced, it is expected that Britain will swiftly review its relations with Libya.
While diplomatic ties between the two nations were fully re-established in 1999, officials said the response of the Libyan Government to the Lockerbie verdict would be key to the future relationship.
The Associated Press & Reuters contributed to this report.
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RELATED SITES:
Scottish Law Commission
Lockerbie trial
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