Indian doctor Haneef hopes Clarke probe will vindicate him

Melbourne, Dec 22 (PTI) Indian doctor Mohammed Haneef,
ho was wrongly charged in a botched terrorism case here is
hopeful the enquiry report to be released this week, will
address all the wrongs done to him, his lawyers said Monday.

Retired judge John Clarke was ordered by the
government to investigate Haneef's detention after he was held
for almost two weeks before being charged with a terrorism
offence. The report is likely to be released early this week.
The case had collapsed due to lack of evidence.

"We would hope for Mr Clarke concluding there was never
any basis to hold Dr Haneef for an extended period of time,
nor was there any basis to charge him," Haneef's lawyer, Rod
Hodgson was quoted as saying by the ABC.

"I'm sure that judge Clarke will have looked
thoroughly at what has happened in relation to my arrest,
detention and visa cancellation and will address all the
wrongs that have been done to me," Haneef said.

"I hope he finds I should never have been charged and
should never have had my visa cancelled as well" he said.
Haneef said he hoped the report would address "all the wrongs"
done to him.

"Everyone wonders why these guys have done this,
everyone in our family. What has gone wrong with them? But
look, at the end of the day, they have done this and justice
has to be done," he was quoted as saying by the Australian.

Following this case Australian Federal Police is now
expected to answer directly to parliament in a bid to make the
force more accountable. The inquiry initiated by the Rudd
Government, heard AFP relied on flawed advice from the
Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions in charging him.

Rudd Government will this week announce the setting up
of a joint House of Representatives and Senate committee on
law enforcement to extend parliamentary oversight to include
the AFP.

A spokeswoman for Home Affairs Minister Bob Debus
refused to confirm the change, but AFP Association chief
executive Jim Torr welcomed the move, saying he had long
lobbied for parliamentary oversight of the department.

"We believe dividends would flow to the public trust
of the AFP and public accountability of the AFP," Torr said.
The limited oversight parliament had over the AFP in the form
of the Senate estimates committee was unsatisfactory.

"In terms of a strategic focus on the AFP, estimates
is completely different to a parliamentary joint committee
process where the members are national security-cleared,
selected by the Prime Minister, and tasked with continuity of
review of the AFP's activities," Torr said.

The charge against the Indian doctor centred on a
mobile phone SIM card that Haneef gave to his second cousin
Sabeel Ahmed, who was later charged with withholding
information following the failed bombings.

Sabeel's older brother Kafeel Ahmed died after ramming
a blazing car into London's Glasgow Airport on June 30. PTI