Haneef inquiry: A.F.P. may make submissions public

Melbourne, Aug 6 (PTI) Australian Federal Police is
expected to make a public explanation of the last years
bungled case of Indian doctor Mohamed Haneef and will provide
an uncensored version of its submission to the public inquiry.

"The Australian Federal police (A.F.P.) was in the
process of compiling a public version of its submission,
devoid of sensitive information supplied to the A.F.P. by the
London Metropolitan Police Service," a Clarke inquiry
spokesman was quoted as saying by 'The Australian'.

"My understanding is that they are trying to comply
with Clarke's request," the spokeswoman said adding "They have
said they are working on it but I have no idea on timing or
anything like that."

A.F.P. Tuesday declined to clarify apparently
contradictory remarks made by Commissioner Mick Keelty on
Monday.

Keelty had said A.S.I.O. - which repeatedly advised
that Haneef was not a threat - was not in possession of the
same material as the A.F.P. when it made its assessment.
Moments later, Keelty said A.S.I.O. had "full access to the
material the A.F.P. has".

Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions and
A.F.P. are the only two agencies to refuse a request from
Clarke to provide a non-secret version of their submissions.

The federal police had originally supplied a censored
version to retired judge John Clarke, who is heading the
inquiry.

The A.F.P. had received severe flak over its handling
of the case as Haneef, 28, was kept in detention for three
weeks following his arrest at Brisbane airport on July 2 last
year in connection with the failed London bombing, only to be
absolved later.


Keelty said Monday the A.F.P. wanted to release its
submission but the sticking point was the UK material. He said
authority to publish it rested with the British police.

Tuesday, a spokeswoman for the Metropolitan Police
told The Australian, British authorities were concerned that
the material could compromise the trial of two men accused of
involvement in the British attacks, scheduled to begin on
October 2.

"We would not want to do anything, including
authorising the publication of any documents, which could
potentially compromise the integrity of those proceedings,"
she said.

When asked if he would release all of the British
material once the prosecutions had concluded, a spokesman for
the Attorney-General Robert McClelland said the decision would
depend on the nature of the national security information
involved, the state of ongoing investigations and the attitude
of the London police.

"It is also likely that some of the information that
is currently protected will be disclosed during the course of
the British prosecutions," he said.

McClelland had requested Clarke provide a public
report when he concluded his inquiry, supplemented if
necessary by a secret one.

But one of Haneef's lawyers, Rod Hodgson, dismissed
the UK justification as a pretext, saying there was nothing
preventing the A.F.P. from responding to information already
on the public record.

"You can't hide behind this smokescreen of the secret
British information. Imagine if the boot was on the other
foot," Hodgson said.

A.F.P. counter-terrorism manager Ramzi Jabbour will
return for a second day of evidence Wednesday along with a
senior official from the Attorney-General's Department.