New Delhi: It was something that was always suspected in the Mohammad Haneef’s detention case but was never proved. But now, a secret plan by Australian authorities to keep the Indian doctor – a suspect in the Glasgow bombings – has been exposed.
News agencies reports Haneef's lawyer Peter Russo has asked the Australian police and Immigration Minister Kevin Andrews to come clean on the plan to thwart a court's decision to release the former terror suspect on bail.
According to PTI, Russo has a copy of an email - obtained through Freedom of Information laws - that shows “contingencies had been developed” in the Gold Coast doctor case.
The email – purportedly written by Brisbane-based counter-terrorism coordinator David Craig to commanders of the Australian Federal Police's counter-terrorism unit on July 14 - was forwarded to Immigration Department public servant Peter White on July 16, Russo said.
The emails reveal the police had a plan on the weekend of July 14 and 15 this year to ensure Haneef remained behind bars by having Immigration Minister Kevin Andrews cancel his visa under the Migration Act, if Brisbane magistrate Jacqui Payne bailed him.
Russo is confident the email is another piece of information to be used in his fight to reinstate Haneef's visa.
"This document is a significant piece in the jigsaw of information available and I hope that the parties of this conversation come clean," Russo was quoted as saying in The Australian newspaper.
"Someone had put a contingency plan in place to have him detained," he said, adding the fact that the only person who could cancel the visa was the immigration minister directly links Andrews to the contingency plan.
An Australian Federal Police spokeswoman confirmed the existence of emails and the plan.
"The emails relate to normal operational contingency planning," the spokeswoman said, adding no further comment from the Australian Federal Police (AFP) would be forthcoming.
It must be recalled that Haneef had maintained and pleaded with the Australian authorities of his innocence. He was granted bail in the terrorism case but was kept under detention for a week after his visa was revoked.
Andrews had said the decision was based on his responsibilities under the Migration Act, on advice from Australian Federal Police and a character test which Haneef had failed.
However, Andrews's spokeswoman said there was no reason for the minister to see confidential emails which suggest a secret plan was in place to keep then-terror suspect Mohamed Haneef behind bars.
"He didn't see the emails. He hasn't seen the emails. Never heard of the police officer (mentioned)," the Australian news agency quoted her as saying.
She said White could have received the email and failed to hand it on to the minister, but maintained the minister had a healthy relationship with the department.
(With agencies inputs)
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