REMEMBER WHEN

GOLD COAST BULLETIN Wednesday, August 1, 2007

AN online chatroom conversation between Mohamed Haneef and his brother after the failed UK bomb plot was behind Immigration Minister Kevin Andrews’s decision to cancel the doctor’s visa.

Under pressure to explain why he would not reinstate Dr Haneef’s visa after the dropping of a charge against the former terror suspect, the minister made public previously unreleased material to justify his stance.

But he stopped short of publishing all the police information.

Mr Andrews released advice from Solicitor-General David Bennett, QC, who found the minister had reason to suspect the Indian doctor had associated with criminals and thus had grounds to cancel his visa.

The visa was revoked hours after Dr Haneef was granted bail by a Brisbane court on a charge of recklessly supporting a terrorist organisation.

Mr Andrews said the AFP had told him before making his visa decision that police suspected the internet conversation may be evidence Dr Haneef had prior knowledge of the UK bomb plot.

He said Dr Haneef appeared to have used the birth of his daughter in India as a ‘false pretext’ to urgently get out of Australia on July 2, the day the Gold Coast hospital registrar was arrested at Brisbane airport in connection with the failed UK bomb plot.

The case fell apart as it was revealed Dr Haneef was wrongly accused by the Howard Government. Dr Haneef was later paid a significant compensation settlement.