It’s well known that the AFP harboured, and still harbour, strong suspicions about Mohammed Haneef. However, even if you make that assumption, the investigation and subsequent prosecution seems to have been stuffed up on several levels. Aside from the courtroom blunder that saw the criminal case against him collapse, I’ve been told by people who should know about these things that the AFP would have been much better off keeping him under surveillance - including in India, with the cooperation of Indian police - to see if they could turn up actual evidence that he’s anything other than a doctor with the misfortune to have the wrong relatives.
Today, a “source” is telling The Age that Kevin Andrews’ office prevented this from happening by revoking his visa, without even telling the AFP:
Senior public servants in a number of agencies in Canberra, including the police, were caught unawares when Mr Andrews suddenly announced that he was cancelling Dr Haneef’s visa.
“That spoiled it for the police,” the source said.
“It was done without any warning. The police knew that was an option but not that it was to be used so quickly or in such a cavalier fashion,” the source said.
One might be tempted to think this “source” is Keelty, or somebody close to him, making yet another attempt to blame somebody else. But, if accurate, the inescapable conclusion is that Kevin Andrews preferred political grandstanding in the leadup to an election over actually catching and convicting somebody who was genuinely thought to be a for-real terrorist.
A a true believer in Ratty’s administration preferring wedge politics to the actual rule of law…
Who woulda thunk it…
You could knock me over with a feather.
*/Wanders away shaking head and muttering expressions of surprise and disappointment/*
Something that has never been properly explained is why Brendan Nelson has kept Andrews on the back bench.
Here is someone who was a Cabinet minister, in an opposition bereft of experience, and yet Nelson keeps him out. Factional politics? Andrews is on the Right and the Right installed Nelson. Regional balance? Andrews is from Victoria and there is shortage of front-bench material Victorian Liberals.
Methinks someone had a word in Nelson’s ear and told him that when the truth about how Andrews acted during l’affaire Haneef comes out, it will be best if he is as far away from Nelson as possible.
Andrews has never been called properly to account for his behaviour in the Haneef affair. He lied quite deliberately in a press conference, reading out a small carefully-edited part of the transcript of a conversation Haneef had with his brother and assuring everyone that it represented substantially the whole conversation. When Haneef’s lawyers released all the court documents it was apparent that this was grossly misleading and prejudicial to Haneef.
The man is a disgrace. If Nelson refused to give him a spot in the shadow cabinet for ethical reasons good on him, but I suspect it was more to do with competency. Andrews is the father of WorkChoices remember … the legislation that many of Howard’s mob claim they never understood properly, presumably because they were given a misleading brief.
It is sequences of events like this that convince me much of GWOT is a load of codswallop. And that’s despite 9/11 and Bali.
At the time, I had no doubt that if Haneef did actually have contact with people who could have provided useful information to terrorism investigators, Andrews’ cancelling of his visa was the best way to make sure that information would be forever lost. It was absolutely the worst kind of populism: pick a target that a significant percentage of the population might naturally be suspicious of, then appeal to their parochialism by sending him back home - terrorists are far less scary when they’re in another country.
Spiros, I don’t know the motives, but seeing K.A. put on the backbench was almost as good as the too-good-to-be-true scenario of him actually being rejected by his own electorate, who should know better.
Robert Merkel:
Why do they do it???
It is always better to continue covert surveillance until [a] you have more real baddies lined up than your prison can hold, or [b] another monsterous outrage is on the verge of being committed, or [c] the subject is proven to be harmless - and in that case, like any business, you cut your losses and move on.
Spiros [2]:
Nelson may have a low approval rating [whatever that is supposed to mean out here in the real world] but he is probably the most useful leader the Liberals have had in ages.
Unfortunately, he is stuck with all the dunderheads who came through the filtering system of the former prime minister, the former opposition leader, the former NSW branch head-kicker, the former Young Liberal, the former trans-Pacific poodle and the former Aussie-basher.
Nelson cannot make a silk purse out of a sows ear and until he purges his party of all its dead-wood, he will be stuck with having to make statements that are too stupid to be his own and to answer awkward questions about why a former Howard minister is on his back-bench and not in a rather different institution reflecting on his blunders.
Andrews was always acting on Howard’s orders. Now that the puppet master is gone, Andrews is just an inanimate sock.
What a dilemma. I love reading disparaging comments about Kevin Andrews, and please do keep ‘em coming. But it’s not enough. I want Keelty’s head on a platter, too and this latest ’scoop’ sounds to me like an attempt to divert blame from Keelty to Andrews when clearly there is easily enough for both of them.
“…an attempt to divert blame from Keelty to Andrews when clearly there is easily enough for both of them.”
I’ve got plenty to spare if it seems we’re running short.
OMG, Pollie “spoils it for the” cops! ROONED!!!
But, by ignoring advice from their UK colleagues, the cops stuffed up big-time early in the investigation, roonin’ it for (the Coalition) pollies in the run up to a critical election.
But then we found this wasn’t the only case rooned by the Keystones for the same pollies even closer to the election (ie Ul Harq).
I feel a sequel to “Keating the Musical” a’comin on for Comedy Festival 09.
Oh that Charlie Chaplin or Peter Sellars were still alive; or Te Pythons still performing!
Silkworm [7]:
How true.
One of the many reasons I kept referring to the regime as Howard’s Soviet Australia was the behavior of its high-ranking officials. It must be so distressing for Comrade-Minister Andrews now that the Glorious Leader and Creator Of Our Magnificent Prosperity has gone. L=O=L
Jenny [8]:
Yes but what were Keelty’s worst offences? Sincerity, gullibility, excess enthusiasm and unquestioning obedience?
DeeCee [10]:
The Chaser Team? Max Gillies? John Clark + Brian Dawes + Gina Reilly? Col Elliot? Kevin Bloody Wilson?
I thought the cancelling of Dr Haneef’s visa and deportation was a mistake in the scenario where he had something to account for: Keep your friends close, your enemies closer.
I hope justice is done for all parties.
Andrews claimed at the time he was revoking the visa due to information given to him by the AFP.
Well well. It was quite obvious he was telling porkies at the time, now this appears to prove it. He should be stood down as unfit for office, and maybe tried and jailed for fraud too.
“Now that the puppet master is gone, Andrews is just an inanimate sock”
Pure gold.