Abdel Baset Ali al-Megrahi was the terrorist and agent of Libya who was convicted of murdering 270 people, mostly American, in the bombing of Pan Am flight 103 over Scotland in 1987. As we all know by now, he was recently released by the Scottish government after serving just a few years, or a few days for each victim, for his hideous crime.

The Scots claimed that his release was justified under their moral values, which required compassion for Megrahi in the supposed last few months of life. (We were told he was dying of cancer, but only one doctor — one paid by Libya — confirmed the diagnosis and others denied it.) The government in London, under international pressure, would claim that it had nothing at all to do with the release.

But according to papers and evidence obtained by the Times of London, both governments were lying. The Lockerbie bomber wasn’t released on “compassionate” grounds — he was released for oil contracts. And the government in London knew about it.

The British government decided it was “in the overwhelming interests of the United Kingdom” to make Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi, the Lockerbie bomber, eligible for return to Libya, leaked ministerial letters reveal.

Gordon Brown’s government made the decision after discussions between Libya and BP over a multi-million-pound oil exploration deal had hit difficulties. These were resolved soon afterwards.

The letters were sent two years ago by Jack Straw, the justice secretary, to Kenny MacAskill, his counterpart in Scotland, who has been widely criticised for taking the formal decision to permit Megrahi’s release.

The correspondence makes it plain that the key decision to include Megrahi in a deal with Libya to allow prisoners to return home was, in fact, taken in London for British national interests.

I would be thoroughly surprised if American-Anglo relations aren’t seriously harmed after this incident. Hundreds of our fellow citizens were murdered by an agent of the Libyan government, Megrahi. And yet, after serving just a few days for each victim’s life, he was released by the UK in exchange for oil contracts — a trade we were blatantly lied to about.

If Gordon Brown had any shame whatsoever, he would resign immediately and issue an apology for flatly lying not only to the victims’ families but to his own people. But then we already know that Brown has no shame, so expect no resignation or even apologetic press release.