More Public Criticism of the Haneef Case

Peter Faris, QC was among the first to criticise the handling of the Haneef case:

Criminal barrister Peter Faris, QC, also accused Australian Federal Police of being “way out of their depth” after it emerged the Gold Coast doctor’s mobile phone SIM card was not found in the burnt-out Jeep at Glasgow airport after the botched terror attack, as a Brisbane court was told a week ago.

Instead the SIM card was discovered eight hours later in Liverpool with his second cousin Sabeel Ahmed, who is facing the minor charge of withholding information.

The Age reports today that the apparently bungled investigation is now something of a joke among British investigators:

In Britain, a source close to the investigation confirmed the SIM card was found in Liverpool, and said the Australian police were considered a laughing stock by Britain’s Metropolitan Police for allowing “such a major cock-up” to happen. “Australian police have got their wires crossed. This is very embarrassing for them. The police here are laughing at the Australian police, saying, ‘What on earth have they done?’ [Haneef] is clearly more of a political case than a police case.”

But not everyone is laughing about the case. The Age also reports:

Victorian Attorney-General Rob Hulls told The Age yesterday it appeared the Federal Government had ignored vital legal principles in forcing Haneef’s detention via immigration law.

Former Victorian Court of Appeal judge, Stephen Charles, QC, and former governor-general Bill Hayden also hit out at the treatment of Haneef, saying it showed blatant disregard for the role of the courts.

The Australian is reporting that Queensland Premier Peter Beattie is also demanding answers, even describing the case against Dr Haneef as “sloppy”.

“I’m deeply concerned about where we are,” Mr Beattie said. “If they have stuffed this up, they should come clean. There are now too many questions and it’s just looking sloppy.”These issues that have been reported in The Australian and on the ABC’s AM need to be answered. I think most people are starting to think, ‘Is this guy just a victim of circumstances with his relatives’. There has to be openness and transparency in this. We do not want this guy to be a political pawn. They have got to prove they acted in the national interest in this.”

And the Courier Mail is asking whether public sentiment over the detention of Dr Haneef — one way or the other — might decide the upcoming election. It is hard to tell at this early stage, but as Crikey reported yesterday, the government’s stocks do seem to have risen since the affair began:

While it might offend our subscribers’ sensibilities, Crikey understands that Coalition polling has indicated the Haneef affair has been playing well with punters. That’s been backed up by the latest poll from Roy Morgan Research. It has the government’s primary support on 40 per cent for the first time all year.