ID :
27091
Tue, 10/28/2008 - 18:27
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/27091
The shortlink copeid
AFP won't admit errors: Haneef lawyers
(AAP) The Australian Federal Police (AFP) remains incapable of admitting mistakes it made during the botched investigation of former terrorism suspect Mohamed Haneef, the inquiry into the affair has been told.
In a fresh submission to the Clarke Inquiry, Dr Haneef's legal team has slammed a
long-awaited unclassified AFP submission, released last week.
In that submission, the AFP sought to distance itself from the decision to charge Dr
Haneef, blaming the move on bad advice from the Commonwealth Director of Public
Prosecutions.
Lawyer Stephen Keim told the inquiry the AFP's submission was inadequate, leaving
dozens of important questions unanswered.
"It reveals that, 15 months after Dr Haneef's arrest the AFP remains unable to make
an objective assessment of its own performance," he said.
"It illustrates that the AFP is unable to acknowledge matters which were done poorly.
"The submission blames others for anything that went wrong.
"The submission is also important for what it fails to address."
Dr Haneef was arrested in Brisbane last year over suspected links to botched
terrorism attacks in Britain, and detained for 12 days without being charged.
He was charged on July 14, but the case against him collapsed. The charge was later
withdrawn, and Dr Haneef was subsequently cleared of wrongdoing.
Mr Keim said the new information in the AFP's submission was of "no operational or
security significance".
"It is difficult to understand why there has been such a delay in releasing the
submission," he said.
Mr Keim criticised the AFP's decision to include in its submission details of
jihadist material found during a search of Dr Haneef's apartment.
Dr Haneef was never questioned over the material, Mr Keim said.
"It is surprising, to say the least, that a document which was not important enough
to be the subject of a single question is now put forward as relevant evidence," he
said.
The AFP submission also failed to explain why a senior AFP officer charged Dr
Haneef, rather than the arresting officers.
In a fresh submission to the Clarke Inquiry, Dr Haneef's legal team has slammed a
long-awaited unclassified AFP submission, released last week.
In that submission, the AFP sought to distance itself from the decision to charge Dr
Haneef, blaming the move on bad advice from the Commonwealth Director of Public
Prosecutions.
Lawyer Stephen Keim told the inquiry the AFP's submission was inadequate, leaving
dozens of important questions unanswered.
"It reveals that, 15 months after Dr Haneef's arrest the AFP remains unable to make
an objective assessment of its own performance," he said.
"It illustrates that the AFP is unable to acknowledge matters which were done poorly.
"The submission blames others for anything that went wrong.
"The submission is also important for what it fails to address."
Dr Haneef was arrested in Brisbane last year over suspected links to botched
terrorism attacks in Britain, and detained for 12 days without being charged.
He was charged on July 14, but the case against him collapsed. The charge was later
withdrawn, and Dr Haneef was subsequently cleared of wrongdoing.
Mr Keim said the new information in the AFP's submission was of "no operational or
security significance".
"It is difficult to understand why there has been such a delay in releasing the
submission," he said.
Mr Keim criticised the AFP's decision to include in its submission details of
jihadist material found during a search of Dr Haneef's apartment.
Dr Haneef was never questioned over the material, Mr Keim said.
"It is surprising, to say the least, that a document which was not important enough
to be the subject of a single question is now put forward as relevant evidence," he
said.
The AFP submission also failed to explain why a senior AFP officer charged Dr
Haneef, rather than the arresting officers.
