Revelation by minister is no secret, says Haneef's lawyer

MELBOURNE: A lawyer for Mohammed Haneef on Tuesday said information released by Australian Immigration Minister Kevin Andrews suggesting that the Indian doctor may have had prior knowledge of the botched terror plot in the UK is "more smoke and mirrors" and not confidential evidence.

Lawyer Peter Russo, speaking from Bangalore, told a radio channel here that the details revealed by Andrews which he based from chatroom conversations Haneef had with his brother in India, were already covered during a police interview.

He said he was yet to receive a transcript of that particular interview.

"If the Government will give us the second record of interview then we can make a judgment call on whether it should be released, so that then the public can be fully informed," he said, adding the information covered in that interview was "hardly secret".

Andrews, who has been under pressure to justify his cancellation of Haneef's visa, today said Haneef's attempt to urgently depart Australia appeared based on a false pretext, raising suspicions he was aware of the bomb plot in the UK.

"Andrews has led the Australian public to believe that this is the secret information, it is hardly secret information if it was put to my client in the second record of interview," Russo told another media channel.

"And therefore, the Director of Public Prosecutions would have had access to that when they were making their judgment call (to drop the case). It is more smoke and mirrors from the minister." Russo said.