Former British prime minister Tony Blair secretly met with deposed dictator Moammer Gadhafi—even flying to the country on one of Gadhafi's private jets—in 2008 and in 2009, one day before Lockerbie bomber Abdel Basset al-Megrahi's prisoner release form was signed. In correspondence and email found by the Telegraph, Blair refers to Gadhafi as "The Leader," and also met with the chairman of Libya's state-owned National Oil Company. "These new meetings between Mr. Blair and Gadhafi are disturbing, and details of what was discussed should now be made public," Oliver Miles, former British ambassador to Libya said. "I am astonished Tony Blair continued to have meetings like this out of office."
Blair also arranged for his billionaire American friend, Tim Collins, to meet with Gadhafi to discuss developing beachfront resorts in Libya. Since leaving office in 2007, Blair has juggled the roles of businessman, philanthropist, and Middle East peace envoy. He's estimated to be worth between $30 million and $80 million. Blair maintains that he had no role in Megrahi's release to Libya in 2009, and that "it was not a decision for the UK government but for the Scottish Executive."
A spokesperson for Blair said, "At the time, governments around the world were engaging with Libya…Tony Blair…has no commercial relationship with any Libyan company or entity." However, he does work for JP Morgan, who pays him around $4 million a year, and the company has extensive business holdings within Libya. Blair's meetings further the theory offered by a US Senate report that Megrahi was released not on "compassionate" grounds due to his illness, but for the UK's business interests. A relative of a Lockerbie bombing victim said, "The idea of Gaddafi paying for Mr Blair's visit is deeply offensive."
