CAMPAIGNERS will today urge MSPs not to reject their call for an independent inquiry into the conviction of Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al Megrahi for the 1988 Lockerbie bombing.

The Justice for Megrahi group will ask Holyrood's Justice Committee to defer the call until fresh police investigations in Libya are concluded.

They launched a petition calling for an inquiry more than two years ago. The Scottish Government said it does not have the powers to hold a wide-ranging inquiry but would co-operate with other authorities.

But the Justice for Megrahi group – which includes Dr Jim Swire, whose daughter Flora was killed in the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 – urged MSPs not to close the petition.

A spokesman said: "It is extremely important that this matter remains a live issue within the Scottish Parliament so that it cannot be arbitrarily closed down. It is vital that clear and unambiguous answers are forthcoming from the appropriate authorities."

He added: "It is obvious that we have raised many important questions that the ongoing Crown Office and police inquiry has failed to answer."

The group believes Megrahi was wrongly convicted.

Megrahi, the only man convicted over the bombing, died from cancer at home in Libya this year. He was released from jail in Scotland on compassionate grounds in 2010.