Scottish Court in the Netherlands
The Scottish Court in the Netherlands is the name given to the special court set up under Scots Law to try two Libyan agents charged with planting a bomb on Pan Am Flight 103 which exploded over the town of Lockerbie in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. The court was established in a nuetral country as a comprise deal with Libya to allow a trial to take place. The Court's location is in the former United States Air Force base at Camp Zeist in the Netherlands. The area was declared sovereign territory of the United Kingdom governed by Scots Law under a treaty signed by the British and Dutch governments. Thus during the the trial the base was guarded by Scottish Police Officers and Prison Wardens. The Court site contained a court room, prison for the accused and offices for press and families of the victims. + The court convicted Abdel Basset al-Megrahi of murder on January 31 2000. A subsequent appeal was held at the court and rejected the next year. A second suspect was acquited. The site was then decommisioned and returned to the Dutch Government.
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