Gordon Brown is under renewed pressure to release details about the UK's dealings with Libya after Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's son said there was an "obvious" link between trade talks and efforts to secure the release of the man convicted of the Lockerbie bombing.
Saif Gaddafi said it was "not a secret" that the Libyans were linking a lucrative oil and trade deal signed by Tony Blair in 2007 with their bid to get Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, jailed in 2001 for planting the bomb that killed 270 people, returned to Libya.
But Gaddafi said the prisoner transfer agreement signed by Blair had ultimately had no bearing on the decision by Scottish ministers last week to free Megrahi, who is close to death with prostate cancer, on compassionate grounds.
The prisoner transfer agreement "was one animal and the other was the compassionate release," he told the Herald newspaper.
"They are two completely different animals. The Scottish authorities rejected the PTA. It did not work at all, therefore it was meaningless. He was released for completely different reasons."
Gaddafi continued: "The fight to get the [prisoner transfer] agreement lasted a long time and was very political, but I want to make clear that we didn't mention Mr Megrahi. At all times we talked about the PTA. It was obvious we were talking about him. We all knew that was what we were talking about.
"People should not get angry because we were talking about commerce or oil. We signed an oil deal at the same time. The commerce and politics and deals were all with the PTA."
Gaddafi insisted there was "zero link" between Megrahi and his recent meeting with the UK business secretary, Lord Mandelson, in Corfu. But Megrahi's release now meant Libya and the UK "could put Lockerbie behind us and talk about the future. We want to talk about business and oil and health and more productive projects. This is history."
His comments reignited demands from the Tory leader, David Cameron, for the UK government to reveal the full details of its trade talks and meetings with Libya. The Tories would table parliamentary questions pressing for answers when Westminster returned from the recess, Cameron said.
It was not enough for Brown to say he was "angry" and "repulsed" by the celebrations when Megrahi landed at Tripoli, Cameron said. "The real questions remain unanswered. To begin with, what dealings has his government had with that of Libya on this issue?
"And most importantly of all, what is Gordon Brown's opinion of the decision to return Mr al-Megrahi on compassionate grounds? I have made my view clear. I think it was wrong. I see no justice in affording mercy to someone who showed no mercy to his victims."
The Scottish government has meanwhile tried to distance itself from the row by insisting that none of its ministers had had any discussions about Libyan trade deals with any Scottish businesses, Libyan officials and ministers in the run-up to Megrahi's release.
A spokesman for the Scottish government said Alex Salmond, the first minister, whose Westminster and Holyrood constituencies are close to Aberdeen, the UK's oil industry capital, had never discussed oil or trade deals with either the Libyans or Scottish firms. Neither had John Swinney, the Scottish finance secretary, or his two junior energy and industry ministers, the spokesman said.
Scottish government sources also insisted that Salmond was hostile to the prisoner transfer deal signed by Blair some months after the SNP won power in May 2007.
Salmond was furious that the UK government had signed it without his agreement, knowing it had no power to influence Scottish ministers or judges. Scotland has always had a separate legal and judicial system, which has had its independence strengthened by devolution.
Gaddafi tried to play down the controversy over last Thursday's celebrations at Tripoli airport, when Megrahi was greeted by him and a large crowd of saltire-waving Libyans. He insisted it was not an official celebration, but said it was a spontaneous display organised by Megrahi's large extended family and ordinary Libyans.
The Libyan government had planned to keep it low key – honouring undertakings with the UK, Scottish and US governments – but Megrahi's heavily televised release from Greenock prison and transfer to Glasgow airport had publicised his return home.
Libyan police were caught by surprise by the size of the crowds, he claimed, delaying Megrahi's disembarkation by two hours.
"There was no official celebration, no guards of honour, no fireworks and no parade," he said. "We could have arranged a much better reception."
He added that Megrahi would not be a guest of honour at the 40th celebrations of his father's seizing power next week; he would be in hospital.
He said: "The decision by Scotland was not influenced by any of these things. I think the Scottish justice secretary is a great man. He made the right decision. So many of us think, including so many of the relatives of the victims, because Mr Megrahi is innocent. One day, history will prove this."
Since the August 20 release of , who was convicted of planting a bomb on , there has been growing controversy surrounding the events which led to his release. Pan Am Flight 103 exploded in-flight in 1988 as the aircraft flew over , Scotland, killing all 259 people on board and eleven more on the ground. Al Megrahi is the only person to have been convicted of the bombing.
Kenny MacAskill 
In recent years, the British government has negotiated oil development deals with Libya. As part of the negotiations, at least three UK ministers traveled to Libya in the months leading up to Al Megrahi's release.

Leaked letters from UK   to his Scottish counterpart, , stated that it was in the "overwhelming national interests" of the UK to include Al Megrahi in prisoner transfer agreements which were part of the oil trade deals. These letters have lead to widespread speculation that the British government influenced the Scottish decision to release Al Megrahi.

Al Megrahi was released on compassionate grounds as he was diagnosed with terminal cancer. However, this diagnosis was called into question as '''' revealed that the health director of the , Dr. Andrew Fraser, relied on the advice of a  instead of an , when issuing his recommendation for release. 

When Al Megrahi returned to Libyan soil, Libyan leader Muammar al-Gaddafi thanked Gordon Brown and  for his release.

, the son of Muammar al-Gaddafi, has stated that during the prisoner transfer agreement (PTA) phase the trade negotiations, the Al Megrahi case was not specifically named, yet it was implied.
Jack Straw
"The fight to get the prisoner transfer agreement lasted a long time and was very political, but I want to make clear that we didn't mention Mr Megrahi. At all times we talked about the PTA. It was obvious we were talking about him. We all knew that was what we were talking about," he said.

In Scotland, the release of Al Megrahi has caused significant debate. A poll conducted for the BBC by  found that 60% of Scots thought the  was wrong to allow the release. 68% believe the decision was made fore reasons that did not pertain to Al Megrahi's health.
Muammar al-Gaddafi 
"No one I think seriously believes we made any other decision except for the right reasons,"  Alex Salmond said on Wednesday. "I think it was the right decision. I also absolutely know it was for the right reasons."

"We didn't think that the Lockerbie decision should be linked to trade or oil decisions by anyone who looked at the coincidence that the prisoner transfer agreement was being negotiated at the same time as commercial contracts," Salmon also stated.

The  stated Monday that, "There was no deal over the release of al-Megrahi nor could there ever be, since all decisions were for the Scottish, not U.K. government."

"The central assertion in this story is completely untrue and deeply misleading,"  added.

Correspondence released on Tuesday by the UK government shows that Abdulati Alobidi, the Libyan minister to Europe warned of "catastrophic effects for the relationship between Libya and the UK," if Al Megrahi were to die in prison in Scotland.

When Salmond asked Straw what the national interests of the UK were, Jack Straw replied, "Having sponsored terrorist attacks in the past, it Libya is now an important partner in the fight against terrorism." Libya approved a large oil exploration contract to  within days of the letter.

Libyan officials have said that since al-Megrahi's return to Libya, his health has deteriorated. He was not part of the 40th anniversary celebrations for Gaddafi's coup d'état held on Tuesday.