Sydney, July 29 (IANS) Indian doctor Muhammad Haneef has boarded a flight home after a 25-day incarceration as the Australian government dropped terrorism charges against him, but not before telling his side of the story to a news channel that is set to be aired tonight.
All smiles before boarding the Thai Airways flight from Brisbane, Haneef spoke exclusively to Channel Nine Television’s flagship current affairs programme “60 Minutes”, which will be aired at 7.30 p.m. (AEST).
“He was evil – a dangerous man. If he wasn’t a terrorist, his mates were. And he was helping them. Or so we were told”, says the “60 Minutes” website.
According to The Sun Herald, it is understood that the channel paid for the exclusive interview, but a network spokesperson declined to confirm or deny if money had changed hands.
Haneef, 27, who was in custody since July 2 in connection with the botched British terror plot last month, boarded a Thai Airways flight home following Minister for Immigration and Citizenship Kevin Andrews’ decision to allow him to leave Australia.
The Australian government dropped terrorism charges against him though it refused to reinstate his 457 work visa.
Ever since the charges were dropped, there has been talk of the hundreds of thousands of dollars Haneef could make from tell-all interviews and compensation from the Australian government, which had gone wrong all the way in his case.
Australia’s foremost entrepreneur in the fields of entertainment, marketing and personality management, celebrity agent Harry M. Miller publicly asked Haneef to contact him Friday, saying “the sky’s the limit” if he decided to sell his story.
Miller said: “I’m not talking money now. Until you know what he is prepared to divulge, it’s impossible to put a figure on it. But if he phones and talks to me about what he has to tell, I’ll answer the question for him.”
According to the newspaper, human rights lawyer Harry Freedman said Haneef could seek damages of between $100,000 and $200,000 for being wrongfully detained, the emotional trauma of his detention and the possible long-term effects on his earning potential.
“60 Minutes” has aired more than 3,500 stories and remains a Sunday night staple in Australian households. And now a case that has stirred the Australian conscience will have many hooked to their TV sets to hear it all from the horse’s mouth this time.