Doctor Once Charged in Terror Case Gets Visa Back
It seems the Australian government just doesn't want to admit that maybe it made a mistake. Almost as soon as a federal court ruled today that Immigration Minister Kevin Andrews had erred when he canceled the work visa of Dr. Mohamed Haneef, the government announced it would appeal the decision.
Haneef, you might remember, had originally been charged with providing support to a terrorist organization because he had given his mobile phone's SIM card to his cousin several months before the relative was charged in the failed bombing plot in London and Glasgow in June. The charge against Haneef was dropped after it was reported that the police and prosecutors had made misleading statements in court. But the immigration minister did not reinstate Haneef's visa, citing character issues.
The New York Times reports that a federal judge dismissed Andrews' application of the character criterion.
In the court's ruling today, the judge, Jeffrey Spender, said that perhaps even he could not pass that test, because as a defense lawyer, he had "associated with" known criminals. And a woman who was the victim of domestic violence would theoretically fail the test because she had "associated with" her partner, he said.
But the government still might win: The court left open the possibility that the government could cancel the visa for a different reason.
9:57 AM ET | 08-21-2007 | permalink
