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Keelty’s pursuit of Haneef is beyond the pale
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While ministers of the Howard government are rightly in the frame over the disgraceful treatment of former Gold Coast doctor Mohammed Haneef last year, the conduct of the Rudd government in this affair also demands some answers. ASIO’s public submission to the Clarke Inquiry, released yesterday, notes that in December last year the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security (IGIS), the organisation that oversees ASIO, wrote to Rudd government Attorney-General Robert McClelland. The IGIS, according to the ASIO submission advised Mr McClelland:
So there you have it — by December last year the Rudd government had no reason to allow the Haneef investigation to continue. Why then, did Justice Minister Bob Debus, who is responsible for the Australian Federal Police, allow AFP Commissioner Mick Keelty to tell a Senate Estimates Committee on February 18 this year that the Haneef matter “is an ongoing investigation,” and that there “are outstanding inquiries beyond the control of the AFP yet to be completed.”? And what about as recently as May 21 this year, at a media conference held to announce the opening of the new AFP headquarters in Canberra, Keelty, with Debus standing right next to him, had this exchange with the media:
Given that it is over six months now since they were officially told by ASIO that Dr Haneef has never presented a threat to national security – which is code for he did not commit terrorist offences — it is disturbing that Mr McClelland and Mr Debus continue to sit on their hands and allow Mr Keelty to spend taxpayers dollars on the AFP Haneef investigation. It is right that politicians do not interfere with police investigations but when ministers like Robert McClelland and Bob Debus have been briefed by official sources on a matter they have a responsibility to ensure that limited resources are utilised in the most efficient manner. Allowing Mick Keelty to continue to pursue Haneef, after being told in December last year that Dr Haneef was not a threat to Australia, would not seem to be consistent with that responsibility. |
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10 Comments
Mick Kelty reminds of a fifth former desperately wishing he was in the sixth form…Alexander Downer was the same.
Mick Kelty reminds of a fifth former desperately wishing he was in the sixth form…Alexander Downer was the same.
Keelty is clearly wasting our time and money (never mind his moral or political incapacity), He is not fit to lead the AFP and is consequently a liability to Australia. Let’s mount a campaign to sack him. Let’s have a fresh face who might just be more receptive to some simple messages.
Something smells very badly about this whole affair. To have former Minister Andrews once again denying the fact that he is telling porkies in regard to what he was told and what he knew when, is looking weaker and weaker. The evidence is mounting and Andrews is looking more like a cornered rat as his former “mates”, desert him. A Royal Commission is now desperately required to get to the bottom of this debacle, the longer Rudd delays the more the stench will surround all those involved in locking up this innocent man, I hope he sues for millions. Incidently I haven’t noticed Akerman and Bolt rushing to apologise to the good doctor for the disgraceful articles rubbishing him, they were only too eager to write when it appeared there was mileage to made for the Coalition. Yet another example of being in the back pocket of the Liberals despite their howls of never ever. News Ltd standards are beneath contempt.
David, your comments re Bolt and Akerman are fair enough, but in News Ltd’s defence I’d point out that The Australian played a key role in exposing the AFP’s incompetence and has also had a crack at Keelty over all this. It’s true however that Bolt and Akerman get a lot more readers tahn the Oz, sadly.
Great article. Keelty needs to come up with a thoroughly plausible explanation for all this or he’s nothing more than a pathetic show-pony. It seems to me that having a show-pony running the AFP is not just a waste of money, it’s counter-productive. Any effort going into Haneef is not going into investigating actual crime.
Keelty is not only incompetant but a liar to boot. It’s outrageous to have a bloke like this running the AFP and some of his investigators look like they should be up on charges as well. What’s wrong with McClelland ?-we should expect more from and Bob Debus as well. Debus was one of the more moral ministers inthe legal illiterate Bob Carr’s government, who fought against some of that dodo’s worst excesses. Now he and McClelland are in the Federal government their knees seem to have gone to jelly. Just have a word in Keelty’s ear for Chris sake Debus and tell the fool to take early retirement. Then a Royal Commission thanks and let all the cockroaches be exposed.
Keelty should have been sacked and charged with people smuggling years ago. Or with turning Scott Rush over to the INP. And a hundred other crimes.
I have a real problem when people start to suggests that governments ought to interfere in the day to day managerial decisions of police. Once the govt can decide who police should investigate or not then we are all in trouble. Imagine if the AFP wanted to investigate Julia Gillard for some nefarious act and the govt had the power to instruct the AFP not to investigate. I dont think Greg Barnes has really thought through his concern.
On the other hand the AFP should not be continuing the investigation once it is clear that there is no substance to the matter being investigated but it is not for governments to decide that.
Fair point Dave L . The Australian do seem to have a good balance of jurnos, more so than the rest of the News Ltd stable. It did in fact publish a very good expose on the AWB Affair which also the Rudd Govt appear to have lost enthusiasm for.