By Neena Bhandari, IANS
Sydney : Charges that Indian doctor Muhammad Haneef supported a terror organisation could be dropped as early as Friday, said a prominent Australian lawyer as the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) moved to review all the material in the case.
Peter Faris, a former chairperson of the National Crime Authority, spoke out as support mounted for DPP Damian Bugg's move to personally review all material and proceedings in the Indian doctor's case.
"This is the end of the case against Dr Haneef. I have no doubt that the reasons that Bugg has intervened is to find a way out of the impasse that the DPP finds itself in which is, to put it bluntly, they have no case. I would be fairly confident … that the charges will be dropped probably tomorrow, if not tomorrow, Monday," Faris told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).
Calling for Bugg and Australian Federal Police (AFP) commissioner Mick Keelty to resign, he said, "Both organisations have failed the Australian public very badly. I think heads should roll and I think it's really got to be Keelty … and Bugg. They knew what was going on, they've let it fall into this mess and they are responsible."
Haneef, the 27-year-old Gold Coast doctor, has been in solitary confinement in Brisbane's high security Wolston Correctional Centre since he was earlier this month charged with supporting a terrorist organisation by "recklessly" giving his mobile phone SIM card to people planning the botched British bombings.
Saying that the review is simply an example of Australia's legal system at work, Attorney-General Philip Ruddock told the ABC, "The fact is Damian Bugg is an independent statutory officer. He makes those decisions and if people are saying they support him carrying out his function, if that's what they're saying, then they're supporting the government."
He said the DPP "has administrative responsibility for the totality of the organisation" and he is ensuring that he is satisfied with the handling of the case.
Welcoming the DPP's review decision, the outspoken Queensland Labour Premier Peter Beattie said he would be receiving a briefing from the AFP.
He was quoted as saying: "As a matter of courtesy, I'm happy to talk to the federal police and they obviously want to brief me. I'm happy to do that, but what I sought we've now got and that is an assessment of this."