SYDNEY (AFP) — Australian prosecutors pursued a flawed case against an Indian doctor suspected of involvement in aborted car bombings in Britain, an official review released Friday has found.
Mohamed Haneef was held for more than three weeks in July and charged with providing "reckless" support to a terror group in connection with failed car bombings in London and Glasgow last June.
But Haneef, a Muslim, was released when the case against him collapsed, prompting Australia's director of public prosecutions (DPP) Damien Bugg to order a review of how proceedings were handled.
The review, conducted by an independent barrister, confirmed there were "errors of fact" in the case against Haneef, Bugg said in a statement released late Friday.
"The DPP has learnt from this matter and will take further steps to ensure that advice is provided in accordance with the role of the DPP in situations such as this," Bugg said.
Bugg said the case had involved a complex investigation into conduct that occurred overseas and had incorporated information from inquiries being carried out by foreign agencies.
"Time-critical decisions had to be made in circumstances of incomplete and changing information," he said.
Haneef was arrested at Brisbane airport on July 2 as he attempted to fly to his home city of Bangalore, days after two of his cousins were linked to planned attacks in Britain.
The case hinged on a mobile phone SIM card which Haneef last year gave to his second cousin Sabeel Ahmed, who has been charged with withholding information over the failed bombings.
Sabeel's older brother Kafeel Ahmed died from burns sustained when he rammed a blazing car into Glasgow Airport on June 30.
Australian prosecutors had incorrectly told a court hearing that Haneef's SIM card was found in the burning car and that Haneef had shared a flat in Britain with two of the terror suspects.
Haneef returned to India after his release and won a court battle to reinstate his visa to work in Australia, a decision the Australian government is appealing.
Haneef's Australian-based lawyer Peter Russo said the review effectively exonerated his client and accused the DPP of trying to blame overseas investigators for the errors in his case.
"The best that can be said is that it is comforting to know the DPP is learning from its mistakes," said Russo, who added that the appeal against Haneef's visa reinstatement would begin on November 15.
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