Seif al Islam, son of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddaffi, said in an interview with French newspaper Le Monde that one of the keys to the release of the Bulgarian medics was the Lockerbie case.

A former Libyan secret service agent, Ali Mohamed al-Megrahi, was sentenced for the bombing of a US passenger aircraft over the Scottish town of Lockerbie in 1988. In June, a ruling was made opening the way for a review of his trial, Focus news agency reported.

Al Islam told Le Monde that Libya had managed to make a connection between Megrahi’s status and that of the six Bulgarian medics who had been sentenced for the intentional HIV infection of more than 400 children.

An extradition agreement between Libya and the UK is expected to be signed soon, Al Islam said. He said that he hoped Megrahi would return to Libya very soon.

According to Al Islam, France had arranged the release of the Bulgarian medics and found money for the families of the HIV infected children. No Libyan money had been given to the children, Al Islam said.