Oz to apologise to Haneef

Dec 22, 2010 |

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Mohammad Haneef

Melbourne: The Australian government is expected to issue a public apology for the wrongful detention of Mohammad Haneef, the lawyer for the Indian doctor said today, a day after winning a settlement over his compensation claim.

Haneef, who was detained after being wrongly accused of having links to the failed Glasglow bombing attempt in 2007, yesterday struck a deal with the government for receiving 'substantial' compensation over the bungled case after two days of negotiation.

His lawyer Rod Hodgson today said that the Australian government had also agreed to issue a public apology reaffirming the doctor's innocence, a report in the ABC said.

"I'm not sure precisely when it's going to be publicised but you can expect that there will be a public apology to Haneef reaffirming his innocence," he said.

"The Commonwealth has recognised that through this process and that's an absolutely tremendous outcome for Haneef to have," he said.

He said the financial settlement was 'substantial' and Haneef was 'delighted' with the deal.

In return, Haneef has dropped a civil claim against the government and defamation action against the former immigration minister Kevin Andrews, who had revoked the doctor's visa after he got bail.

"The resolution of this matter will lead to the cessation of all legal proceedings against the Commonwealth and Andrews," he said.

The amount of the financial compensation agreed upon has been kept under wraps, and the government said the terms of the settlement could not be revealed because of a confidentiality agreement.

According to lawyer Peter Russo, who has been representing Haneef since he was held in detention, his client's reputation was not tarnished forever.

"I would hope not. I would hope that the average Australian would see that he was an innocent man and allow him to get on with his life now," he said.

He said Haneef was a quiet man who has handled the episode and its aftermath with courage.

"His demeanor really has not changed throughout his ordeal," Russo said.

"In my view, I think he handled it with a great deal of courage and it's a credit to himself that he handled it the way he did," he said.

The former immigration minister Andrews, however, is still unmoved. He said the claim for defamation against him was always 'adventurous' and he has made no apology and paid no compensation to Haneef.

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