London, Dec 21 (IANS) Residents of Lockerbie have reacted with outrage after disclosures that a Libyan man accused of downing a civilian flight over the Scottish town 21 years ago held nearly two million pounds in a Swiss bank account during his trial.

Abdul Baset Ali al-Megrahi, the so-called Lockerbie bomber, was freed from a Scottish jail in August on compassionate grounds because he has prostate cancer.

Campaigners who oppose his release reacted with anger after the Crown Office confirmed that a 'substantial sum' had come to light in 2000.

The Times reported that one source estimated the figure at 1.8 million pounds. The information was passed to prosecutors by the Swiss authorities in 2000, but was deemed inadmissible because legal proceedings had already begun.

Panam flight 103 from London to New York was brought down by an on-board bomb on the town of Lockerbie in southern Scotland Dec 21, 1988, killing all 243 passengers and 16 crew, in addition to 11 Lockerbie residents.

As residents of Lockerbie prepared to mark the 21st anniversary of the bombing Monday, a former senior figure in the US Federal Bureau of Investigation team told The Times that the revelation of al-Megrahi's bank account was hugely significant.

'The state of his health notwithstanding, I hate the fact he may have access to that money,' said the former FBI officer.

'It is unfortunate this could not have been raised at trial because I do believe it would have mitigated against his claim that he was not a Libyan agent - who has that much money to be allowed to sit in an account for that many years other than a government?'

Though the evidence from Switzerland was ruled out of court in June 2000, the Crown office said that it had used the material to oppose bail eight years later.