London  - The British government said Monday it would release correspondence between London and Scottish authorities related to the controversial release of the Lockerbie bomber earlier this month.

The documents are to be released Tuesday, Downing Street said.

Abdel Basset al-Megrahi, who is suffering from cancer, was freed from jail in Scotland on compassionate grounds on August 20, sparking a furious row between Britain and the US.

He was sentenced to life in 2001 for the bombing of a Pan Am airliner over the Scottish town of Lockerbie in which 270 people died - 189 of them Americans.

Speculation has swirled that the release was tied to British economic interests in Libya. Last week, British business secretary Peter Mandelson rejected as "offensive" suggestions that al-Megrahi's release was linked to trade interests. (dpa)