Sir Gus O'Donnell

Cabinet Secretary
Cabinet Office
70 Whitehall
London
SW1A 2AS

18/08/09

Sent by letter and fax 02072760208

Dear Cabinet Secretary,

Regarding Lord Mandelson's recent meeting with Saif al-Islam

Gaddafi in Corfu

We are writing regarding the recent allegations surrounding Lord Mandelson and his
meeting with Colonel Gaddafi's son, Saif al-Islam Gaddafi at a Corfu villa only a week
before the announcement that the perpetrator of the Lockerbie bombing (Abdelbaser Ali
al-Megrahi) was to be released from prison in the United Kingdom.

It was admitted in the Financial Times on 16th August by Lord Mandelson's spokesman
that the stays by the two men overlapped by only one night. Yet the pair did talk about
Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi,

“There was a fleeting conversation about the prisoner; Peter was completely unsighted
on the subject,” he said.

It was only one week later that news emerged that Mr Megrahi could get an early release
on compassionate grounds because he is suffering from terminal cancer. Lord
Mandelson said through his spokesman that he had had no involvement in the decision
and only learnt of it through the BBC. Mr Megrahi’s possible release was a decision
entirely for the Scottish government rather than London.

From looking at the Ministerial Code of Conduct there appears to be a conflict of interest
that has been breached. This refers to section 7.1 of the ministerial code,

''Ministers must ensure that no conflict arise, or could reasonably be perceived to arise
between their public duties and their private interests, financial or otherwise.''

As Lord Mandelson's government portfolio covers the area of Business, Enterprise and

T : 020 7837 3312 F : 070 9201 2337 E : team@sunlight-cops.org.uk

Albion Buildings, 1 Back Hill, London, EC1R 5EN
A not-for-profit company limited by guarantee, advocating political transparency and openness.
Regulatory Reform and as Lord President of the Council he may have been vaguely
aware of the release of Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi. But as the final decision involved the
Scottish government, Lord Mandelson should definitely not have been discussing this
issue before it was resolved particularly with a foreign power. To many in the British
electorate the perception of Lord Mandelson's meeting would be that he was engineering
Abdelbaser Al al-Megrahi's release in order for it to seen in a good light under
humanitarian grounds particularly as in recent years diplomatic relations between Libyia
and the United Kingdom have normalised.

Can you confirm whether Lord Mandelson committed any breach of the ministerial code?
If you are unable to do this, when do you propose to begin an investigation?

We would be grateful for an acknowledgment of this letter by email or telephone and

thank you in advance for your cooperation.

Yours Sincerely

Christopher Galley
Sunlight Centre for Open Politics
chris.galley@sunlight-cops.org.uk

T : 020 7837 3312 F : 070 9201 2337 E : team@sunlight-cops.org.uk

Albion Buildings, 1 Back Hill, London, EC1R 5EN
A not-for-profit company limited by guarantee, advocating political transparency and openness.