Oz police awaiting legal advice on conduct of Haneefs lawyers

The Australian Federal Police (AFP) are awaiting legal advice on the conduct of the legal team of Indian born doctor Mohamed Haneef, which released a transcript of a second police interview with their client.

Sydney, Aug 23 : The Australian Federal Police (AFP) are awaiting legal advice on the conduct of the legal team of Indian born doctor Mohamed Haneef, which released a transcript of a second police interview with their client.

"The continuing attempts by Dr Haneef's defence team to use the media to run their case is both unprofessional and inappropriate, and the AFP has raised this aspect with the Queensland Legal Services Commission (QLSC)," the AFP said in a statement.

The QLSC is an independent statutory body that deals with complaints about the conduct of legal professionals. It can investigate conduct complaints or refer them to the Queensland Law Society or Bar Association of Queensland for investigation.

It can also initiate disciplinary proceedings against legal practitioners before the Legal Practice Committee or, for more serious matters, the Legal Practice Tribunal.

Dr Haneef's legal team on Wednesday released a 378-page transcript of an interview with the Brisbane Police held on July 13, having already released the transcript of another police interview last month.

Immigration Minister Kevin Andrews used selected quotes from the transcript at a July 31 media conference to justify his decision to cancel Dr Haneef's visa - a decision quashed by the Federal Court on Tuesday.

Dr Haneef's lawyer Peter Russo said that his client had asked for the interview to be made public to prove he had "nothing to hide".

"He wants all of the matters raised with him by federal police and his answers to those questions put into the public arena, because of the continuing attempts being made to slander his name by innuendo and selective release of information by government and federal spokespeople," Russo said.

But the AFP criticised the release of the "confidential" transcript.

Dr Haneef's barrister Stephen Keim SC who released the first police transcript, was forced to defend his decision last month in a barrage of criticism, saying its release was not illegal.

Keim said he was only responding to "an aggressive campaign of selective leaking" by authorities.

An AFP statement yesterday said suspected leaks to the media by its members had been investigated and no leaks had been found, the Sydney Morning herald reported.

"The AFP has acted appropriately throughout the investigation," it said.

Dr Haneef is currently in India after the Director of Public Prosecutions on July 27 dropped a terrorism-related charge against him.

ANI