Australia appoints retired judge for Haneef case inquiry

Melbourne : A retired judge has been appointed by the Australian Government to hold an inquiry into the handling of the Mohamed Haneef case.

According to an ABC report, former immigration minister Kevin Andrews and police commissioner Mick Keelty may be asked to appear before the inquiry to be carried out by former New South Wales Supreme Court judge John Clarke.

"Obviously it would be preferable to talk with him (Andrews), but I have no coercive powers," ABC quoted Judge Clarke, as saying.

Attorney-General Robert Mcclelland said that Haneef will be asked to give evidence during the inquiry and Clarke has even offered to travel to India to meet with him.

Mohamed Haneef was detained by Australian Federal Police for 12 days in July 2007 before being charged with providing support to a terrorist organisation. He spent two more weeks in detention after Andrews cancelled his work visa following a Brisbane magistrate's decision to free him on bail.

The charges were dropped later as Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions announced there was no reasonable prospect of a conviction and Haneef returned to Bangalore.

The Federal Court of Australia had in December upheld the decision to reinstate his work visa when the government challenged the decision by a Brisbane court.

ANI