36, Riverdale Park North
Belfast BT11 9DL
Telephone 616627
18th December, 1995
Mr. Sean O'Higgins,
Head of Department,
Department of Foreign Affairs,
Dublin.
Dear Mr. O'Higgins,
Further to our telephone discussion at the home of Dr. Joe Hendron, M.P., on Sunday, 17th inst., I set out herewith the sequence of events as they unfolded from the moment we were first notified by a member of R.U.C. that our son Desmond was missing, this occurred on the afternoon of Sunday, 3rd inst., quote: We have been advised by your son's employers, Mapel Electrical Services, Darlington, I (Mr. Bob Laurence), Phone 01325 282848 or 460604 that the plane on which our son was travelling from Djerba to Malta was missing - overdue for four hours and there was cause for concern, this information had been conveyed to my daughter-in-law at her home in Banbridge, Co. Down.
Upon receipt of this news I queried it's accuracy as my son was not due home on leave until Wednesday, 13th December. I contacted your Consulate office where the duty officer confirmed that it was reported that a light aircraft was reported missing on such a flight and that one of the passengers was an Irish citizen, this information was displayed on R.T.E. Airtel on the Sunday, Monday and Tuesday of last week.
I visited my daughter-in-law on Sunday evening and she confirmed that Desmond had contacted her from Djerba airport on Saturday evening around seven o'clock, saying the flight was put off until Sunday morning due to bad weather conditions. This was a brief conversation and the first indication she had that he was on his way home, earlier than expected.
Friday 8th. Miss Ryan reports p.m. the search by military and naval personnel and equipment was scaled down and called off, nothing found, civilian search to continue over the week-end, organised and coordinated by Mr. Carmel Bartolo.
Monday 11th. P.M. report from Miss Ryan. The civilian search continued over the week-end using a large number of private aircraft, some with trained observers on board, nothing found, search called off. Will keep you informed of any developments.
To-day and in the days that followed I made numerous phone calls to Mr. Bartolo, junior, phone endlessly engaged.
Thursday 11th. No change, nothing to report, unable to make contact with Maltese Government Department, No response from Mapel Electrical Services.
Friday 15th
I was contacted by a Mr. Geoff Williams, phone 0151 476 1790, Mr. Williams is the brother of the missing British man on the plane, Michael Williams. It would appear Michael Williams is a naturalised Maltese citizen, having lived in Malta for nearly twenty years, where he has his business and financial interests. Mr. Williams is divorced with a son who is a serving Royal Navy Officer (Andrew) (here Mr. Geoff Williams requested that his nephew's name and occupation be not referred to for reasons which I hope will become apparent.) Upon receipt of information of his father's disappearance, Andrew who is currently on leave travelled to Malta where, using his rank and family involvement he has been making persistent inquiries in government departments regarding the loss of the plane, nature and extent of the search and general background leading up to the incident. .It would appear that on Tuesday 12th Andrew Williams was taken to a government building and into the office of a Dr. Philip Scibberas whom I have been given to understand was the co-ordinator of the military/navel search operation, when seated in the office Dr. Scibberas instructed his staff to leave the room and closed the door, he then made the following statement:
"We feel you have a right to know your fathers plane did not come down in the water, it is on land and we know where it is"
Question: how do you know where it is?
Answer: Our surveillance systems monitored it's distress beacon for seven hours after its reported disappearance,
Question: If it is on land is it in Tunisia?
Answer: No.
Question: Then is it in Libya?
Answer: It is on the ground in Tripoli, now let me make it clear if you repeat this conversation to anyone outside this room I will deny that I ever made such a statement, excuse me, end of meeting.
Dr. Scibberas has apparently disappeared from the government building and is reported to be in Tunisia investigating the circumstances surrounding the loss of the plane at sea.
Official Maltese Government position
In subsequent conversations with his uncle, Mr. Williams requested that his name be not referred to as the source of our Malta contact which I know you will respect. Other factors which have been fed to me over the weekend via Mr. Williams are:
(a) That the incident of the supposed loss of the plane is related to a political assassination of a Libyan diplomat in Malta some time ago, my son informed me when he was home six weeks ago that there was a general feeling of apprehension and unrest amongst migrant workers in the oil fields, that movement out of Libya would be severely restricted etc. Perhaps this explains my son's decision to leave early. It would appear to have been common currency in Maltese government and stock market circles during the first days of the disappearance that in fact the plane was hijacked to Libya to secure Maltese hostages to force the Maltese government to return documentation and brief case missing from the time of the assassination of the Libyan Diplomat.
(b) Other comments which have been given to me indicate that Libyan government funds have been, prior to the loss of the plane, steadily withdrawn at a rate referred to as flood proportions.
(c) That the pilot was under investigation by the Maltese Authorities for reasons which I cannot consign to paper.
(d) The plane, a Piper 32, did not have the range to make the journey Djerba to Malta.
(e) That the Maltese government air traffic control when advised by Tunisian air traffic control that the plane was about to take off, requested by fax to hold it's departure, the plane took off five minutes after the fax arrived.
(f) The twenty minute delay, according to Mr. Bartolo, junior, when I spoke to him, the plane would have been only twenty two minutes into it's flight and still some twelve miles inside Tunisian air space and natural water when she was reported to have disappeared from Tunisian Radar monitor, supposedly in a storm not confirmed by weather reports.
(g) Why did Tunisian Air Traffic Control wait for twenty minutes to ask Malta if they had observed the disappearance of a plane in Tunisian jurisdiction;
(h) What is the significance of two reports of sightings of six survivors in life raft sighted in Tunisian water (subsequently denied officially) and a vessel which reportedly gave it's name and that of it's captain when it advised it had picked up six survivors. Investigations carried out indicate that although the comments were heard on search radio channels no such vessel or captain exists on any register of shipping.
Items A/H give credence to the comment that the situation is both dangerous and messy, nevertheless I was advised as late as the evening of Sunday 17th inst. they are the subjects of public discussion in Malta at government and street level; Speaking on behalf of all the families of those missing our main concern is to establish that they are safe and well and in no imminent danger.
Mr. Williams suggests that his brother's American Express Card details should be checked out to see if it has surfaced and is being used, I understand Mr. Williams always used this method of payment when travelling outside of Malta, It is suggested his last payment would have been at the Djerba Hotel on the morning of Sunday 3rd December, 1995.