Haneef detained on wrong information

MELBOURNE: Indian doctor Mohammed Haneef, charged with involvement in the failed UK terror plot, came a step closer to freedom with glaring mistakes showing up in a departmental briefing that led immigration minister Kevin Andrews to order his detention.

‘‘Even one error of fact could be enough to undermine the government’s case,’’ constitutional lawyer George Williams was quoted as saying by The Australian on Saturday.

Those mistakes are expected to be raised in the federal court by Haneef’s lawyers on August 8 when they challenge the government’s decision to revoke the Bangalore-educated medic’s visa.

These are the same apparent mistakes that appear in an affidavit used against Haneef by the Australian Federal Police (AFP) when he was granted bail.

Saturday’s edition of TOI had reported that the loopholes in the case against Haneef could aid his release.
While AFP commissioner Mick Keelty on Friday called on lawyers to stop commenting on the case, Queensland Council of Civil Liberties president Michael Cope said the federal court proceedings next month would be crucial.

‘‘If the minister has, for whatever reason, acted on incorrect information, the decision will be overturned,’’ Cope said. Andrews has refused to review cancellation of Haneef’s visa, saying his decision was based on information not seen by Brisbane magistrate Jacqui Payne, who granted the terror suspect bail.

The apparent errors in the information considered by Andrews are in a minute on Haneef prepared by senior public servant Peter White on Monday. Assertions in that minute are inconsistent with an official police record of the interview made public by Haneef’s barrister Stephen Keim.

Part of the minute states that Haneef told the AFP he lived in Britain with Sabeel Ahmed, who is one of the suspects in the recent terror attacks there. However, in the interview Haneef said he had moved out by the time Dr Ahmed had stayed there.