Melbourne: Prosecutors in the Mohamed Haneef probe were under "extreme pressure" from Australian Federal Police to charge the Indian doctor and had no access to vital evidence to judge the strength of the case against him, a public inquiry commission has been told.
In a submission to the John Clarke inquiry into the bungled case of the 28-year-old medic wrongly accused of terrorism, Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions (CDPP) has disclosed how its officers were not supplied with basic information, including Haneef's interview record, before appearing in court to contest his bail application.
"The submission concedes one of its Brisbane-based prosecutors improperly advised AFP that Haneef could be charged and that advice, initially given verbally, was later issued in writing by the CDPP following a request from the AFP," it said.
"CDPP accepts that Haneef was charged following advice given by CDPP," the submission said, according to media reports here. However, CDPP qualified its mistake, saying the officer identified "a number of weaknesses in the case and deficiencies in the evidence gathered to date".
CDPP also claimed that officer misunderstood advice from CDPP's head office and felt subject to "extreme pressure" to reassure investigators.
The Indian doctor was arrested on July 2 last year in connection with the botched terror plots in London and Glasgow before being released on July 27 as the case against him collapsed. Source : PTI
