Wednesday 24th of April 2024

the art of political accountability .....

haneef

Attorney-General Robert McClelland agreed the case had been riddled with mistakes from the top down, he said the Government had no plans to apologise - and admitted not a single head would role over the affair.

Releasing the report today, Mr McClelland said mistakes had been made from the highest level down to the investigating officers but the Government would not go "on a witchhunt".

"At the end of the day, political leaders and agency heads must accept responsibility for errors that occurred on their watch," he said.

"But we have full confidence in all agency heads."

Mr McClelland said the Labor Government would leave it to the agencies themselves to decide whether any disciplinary action should be taken against a long list of people whose actions were grossly incompetent.

"We're not going to execute one to educate a thousand," Mr McClelland said.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/haneef-wants-apology/2008/12/23/1229794379643.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1

blind freddy speaks out .....

Queensland Premier Anna Bligh has called on the Federal Government to formally apologise to Mohamed Haneef. 

Indian-born Dr Haneef was wrongfully charged and detained in relation to a failed terrorist attacks in Glasgow and London in 2007. 

It was the Rudd Government's duty to say sorry to an innocent man who had been though a traumatic experience, Ms Bligh told reporters in Ipswich today. 

"It would appear this is an innocent man who has been treated wrongly and when a wrong has been done I don't think there is any harm in making an apology for that." 

http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/rudd-should-apologise-to-haneef/2008/12/29/1230399103173.html

welcomed departure...

Lawyers for former Gold Coast doctor Mohamed Haneef have welcomed the resignation of Australian Federal Police Commissioner Mick Keelty.

Commissioner Keelty will leave his post on September 2, the 35th anniversary of the beginning of his police career, with two years still to run on his contract.

He has been in the position since 2001 and his current appointment was due to run until 2011.

Commissioner Keelty was in charge of AFP during the investigation into Dr Haneef's alleged links to the failed terrorist attacks in London and Glasgow in 2007.

Dr Haneef was imprisoned for two weeks and had his visa revoked during the investigation, but more than a year later, the AFP cleared him and dropped all the charges against him.

Dr Haneef's lawyer Peter Russo says he hopes a change of leadership at the AFP will herald a new approach.

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