Haneef case inquiry on new Oz PM's agenda

Melbourne, Dec 6: Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has said that his government is seeking advice on how to conduct an official investigation into the handling of Indian born doctor Mohamed Haneef"s case.

Rudd said that the Labour Government would make good on its pre-election commitment to establish a judicial inquiry into the case, but did not yet know when one would be started.

He denied the Government was "raking over the coals'' and said the inquiry was necessary to ensure anti-terrorism legislation was kept accountable.

"What we're on about is establishing the facts,'' Rudd said.

"We want to make sure that with these tough anti-terrorism laws that we've got in Australia that we've got the proper institutional arrangements necessary for their enforcement and the proper checks and balances as well,'' he added.

The Australian Federal Police and the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions have come under sustained criticism following a number of high profile blunders in the case.

Earlier, Australian Attorney-General Robert McClelland had signalled a broader investigation of the Haneef affair.

While the Labour Party was in opposition it promised a judicial inquiry into the affair, but McClelland hinted at a broader inquiry, saying: "On any measure it looked untidy".

He told The Australian that he would ask for reports from the agencies involved in the charging and deportation of the Indian-trained doctor.

Dr Haneef, a registrar at the Gold Coast Hospital, was arrested and charged in July in connection with the Glasgow terror attacks and later deported by the Howard Government, despite the charges being dropped for lack of evidence.

Dr Haneef was arrested at Brisbane Airport on July 2, shortly after the failed UK terrorist plot, but a charge of providing support to terrorism was dropped later.

ANI
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