Diksha Sundriyal
Netflix’s ‘The Bombing of Pan Am 103‘ presents the true story of the bombing through a fictionalized lens. The six-part series delves into the real investigation that unfolded over several years to uncover the perpetrators’ identities. While the evidence from the crash site was important, certain people and their testimony were needed to piece it all together. One of the people to become a rather controversial witness during the investigation and the trial was Edwin Bollier.
Edwin Bollier Appeared as a Witness in the Pan Am 103 Bombing Case Trial
Edwin Bollier founded an electronics and telecommunications equipment company, Mebo Telecommunications, with his partner, Erwin Meister, in Zürich, Switzerland, in 1969. The company’s name came from the first two letters of its founders’ names. Apart from selling equipment, it offered consulting services, particularly in the construction of radio stations during its early years. In the early 70s, Mebo ran a radio station aboard a converted ship in the North Sea, broadcasting to England and the Netherlands. However, a government crackdown led to the station’s shutdown. At this point, the ship had millions of dollars’ worth of electronics on board. According to various media accounts and intelligence investigations, they were reportedly bought by the Libyan government for $4.9 million.
This marked the beginning of the company’s dealings with Libya, though neither of the company’s founders has ever claimed to have met Gaddafi in person. The company executed several contracts with the country, including the installation of Tripoli’s first fax machines. This was followed by the MST-13 timers, which were reportedly developed by a Mebo employee in the workshop, but were manufactured by a third party before being sold to the Libyan army. Reportedly, some units had also been sold to the Stasi at the time. Still, Bollier pointed out that while the company had sold the timers, they had nothing to do with the sale of any detonators, without which the timers were not dangerous devices.
During the investigation of the Pan Am 103 bombing, the investigators found an MST-13 timer in the debris, which was tracked down to Mebo. Years later, Bollier, along with Meister, appeared to testify in the trial of the accused, Al Amin Khalifah Fhimah and Abdelbaset al-Megrahi. However, the Scottish judges ultimately dismissed Bollier’s testimony, officially concluding in their 2001 verdict that he was an unreliable witness. Reportedly, he had earlier delivered a letter to the US embassy linking the timer to Libya. Later, however, Bollier claimed he had acted under coercion. He also testified in court and repeatedly stated to the media that the CIA was manufacturing fake Mebo timers in Florida.
Bollier also claimed that, in 1991, when he visited the FBI headquarters, he was allegedly offered $4 million for testifying in court to confirm the Libyan connection of the timer. He claimed not to have taken the offer and reported it to the Swiss Federal Police. Reportedly, the Scottish authorities briefly considered charging Bollier as an accomplice or accessory during the trial, though it never came to pass, and he was never formally charged with anything. Meanwhile, he filed for 6 million Swiss francs in damages from an intelligence agent of the Swiss Federal Office of Police for allegedly stealing a timer from Mebo and giving it to the FBI without any proper legal proceeding or warrant. However, nothing eventually came of it.
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Edwin Bollier Believes the Truth About Pan Am 103 is Yet to Come Out
Now in his late 80s, Edwin Bollier lives in Zurich, Switzerland, with his wife, Mahmaz. He still occupies his office in the same building where his company, Mebo, has had its headquarters for the past five decades or so. Reportedly, following the Pan Am 103 trial, Bollier’s company suffered substantial financial damage. While his partner, Erwin Meister, has receded from public life, Bollier is pretty active and defends himself and his company’s reputation, which took quite a hit following the trial. For the better part of the past three decades or so, he has been collecting evidence and trying to prove that the Libyan connection with the bombing and Abdelbaset Al-Megrahi’s conviction was allegedly a mistake.
Bollier has long argued his own theory that the real culprits behind the bombing were connected to a Syrian-Palestinian group with Iranian connections. He has also alleged forgery regarding the timer found on the site, which he claims was altered or tampered with. Notably, none of his accusations have been proven so far. Over the years, he has talked with several news outlets, including the BBC, Sky, and Al Jazeera, particularly as Abu Agila Mas-ud has also been accused of participating in the bombing. Reportedly, in 2024, he was interviewed by two prosecutors and a judge in Zurich. Bollier believes the new investigation and trial will expose the conspiracies that he has been talking about all these years. He claims he has forwarded the evidence he has collected to the relevant authorities.
Bollier is ready to testify in court whenever he is called. He also claimed to have sent a “Mebo report” to US President Donald Trump through a reporter in 2020. Reportedly, he has also written a book titled ‘The Truth Died at Lockerbie,’ which he intends to publish after Mas-ud’s trial concludes. He believes that once it is confirmed that there was no Libyan connection with the bombing, as he claims, he would regain his credibility, which has been questioned due to his claims and allegations. Reportedly, in such a case, he might also be entitled to financial compensation. Meanwhile, he continues to use his social media platforms to talk about the Lockerbie case. As for his private life, he prefers to keep it out of the spotlight.
