PETER RUSSO, IMRAN SIDDIQUI INTERVIEW - Wednesday 25th July, 2007
GEORGE NEGUS: Peter Russo, Imran Siddiqui, thanks very much
for your time. The Director of Public Prosecutions late this afternoon
seemed to throw a rock into the pool, Peter, by announcing that he was
going to review all the material in the case against Mr Haneef. Now, do
you see that from a legal perspective, as his lawyer, as a
breakthrough? Does that come some way at least to breaking what was
getting very close to a legal deadlock?
PETER RUSSO, DR HANEEF’S LAWYER: It is helpful
because now we
have an opportunity for someone in his position to give a view which
would be well respected by the legal fraternity and the public.
GEORGE NEGUS: He seems to be saying that there have been
matters, or he
did in fact say that "there have been matters that have developed as
this case has progressed which I am examining, and a broader view of
the available material and the proceedings to date is the best way to
examine these matters appropriately." What do you think he's talking
about - matters that has developed in this case as it’s
progressed? The inconsistencies or what?
PETER RUSSO: He might be talking about some of the issues they
have
arisen in relation to the SIM card and other evidence that was spoken
about in the initial bail application.
GEORGE NEGUS: Do you think it makes the situation a lot more
positive
from your point of view and from Mohammad Haneef's point of view?
PETER RUSSO: You have to be very careful, because he will have
access
to material which I haven't had access to. So, from that point of view,
I don't want to pre-empt anything at this stage.
GEORGE NEGUS: He actually said "Clearly not every matter which
is
prosecuted by my office is reviewed by me." Could we interpret that as
a indication that he is taking its review very seriously to be doing
it, Damian Bugg QC, himself?
PETER RUSSO: I think that is positive and obviously he is
taking the
matter quite seriously for him to make that statement.
GEORGE NEGUS: Earlier today, you actually moved for the
prosecutors to
immediately amend the wording of the charge against Mr Haneef - why did
you do that?
PETER RUSSO: Well, we were trying to seek particulars of the
events and
the previous charge, as it stood, wasn't a valid charge before the
court.
GEORGE NEGUS: What's the difference between the charge as it
stands and
the charge as you want it?
PETER RUSSO: Well, the charge as we're suggesting, well, we
didn't
suggest, we told them that we would be asking for the current charge to
be struck out.
GEORGE NEGUS: Which is, Peter, remind us what the current
charge is to
we laymen?
PETER RUSSO: Well, it's the charge that he supplied the SIM
card to his
cousins in furtherance of their activities, that's paraphrasing it.
GEORGE NEGUS: Right, so that's the alleged, reckless support
of
terrorism?
PETER RUSSO: That's correct.
GEORGE NEGUS: Imran, you've come to Australia at a particular
moment
you could say, in this case. You said you'd come here to have him freed
and to indicate that your family, his family and your family, believe
that he is innocent. You go further than that - you say that you don't
believe him when he tells you that he is innocent, you say you know he
is innocent - that's a very certain, a very straightforward comment.
How do you know that he is innocent?
IMRAN SIDDIQUI, DR HANEEF’S RELATIVE: Having known
Haneef as
a family member, having known him for some time since he got married to
my sister, you know, there are so many activities and you get
interaction with a person and you live with the person, you know you
come to some conclusions. We meet so many people in the world and I
think with our consigns and the kind of knowledge we have and to assist
people we do come to conclusions to know what kind of person can do to
a particular act, or what kind of person is not capable of doing such
an act.
Haneef is a very straightforward guy and a down-to-earth guy, very
dedicated towards his profession so it doesn't take a long time for a
person like me to make a conclusion that this person is a good guy and
he wouldn't be involved in such activities. So that's why I have to say
that he is innocent, you know.
GEORGE NEGUS: Both families have been very keen to point out
that they
hope, it's their desire, that the Australian Government does everything
possible to make quite sure that Mohamed Haneef is getting a fair
trial, a fair go, as they would say in this country. Do you believe
that he is?
IMRAN SIDDIQUI: Well, I think that in this time all these
things have
happened, it's very unfortunate these things have happened. But I still
believe that judiciary has given a fair go, the judiciary has given a
fair trial. They awarded him bail and they thought he was zero risk to
society. That way we do have complete belief in the judiciary of
Australia.
GEORGE NEGUS: You're a Muslim, I presume?
IMRAN SIDDIQUI: Yes.
GEORGE NEGUS: You said an interesting thing yesterday, you
said that he
seems to be facing up to the fact that this is his destiny. Is that an
Inshallah situation - God willing he'll get out of this and God
unwilling he won't?
IMRAN SIDDIQUI: Inshallah, you know, like, whatever is written
in his
destiny. At the end of the day when a person is not able to figure out
what is happening around him and when it gets beyond our imagination
and beyond our thinking, you know, we do tend to go spiritual and say,
"This is our destiny, something written in our book.” You
know, there might be some moments in your life as well which were not
expected by you.
GEORGE NEGUS: True. Peter, what now? Today's late developments
- have
they changed your strategy, your tactic? What happens from this point
on now, because people are seeing this as a quite dramatic shift?
PETER RUSSO: Um, I'm not gonna change my strategy because I
can't sort
of just sit back and rest and say, "Oh it's all good now," because I
don't, I can't do that. My next strategy was to request further and
better particulars which I understand were finalised in Brisbane this
afternoon. I wasn't able to get my hands on a copy of that tonight.
I'll get them early in the morning. And it's our intention to serve
them on the DPP in Brisbane sometime tomorrow morning.
GEORGE NEGUS: So it's far from over. Peter, thanks so much for
your
time. And Imran Siddiqui, thanks very much for your time.
IMRAN SIDDIQUI: Thank you very much, George.
PETER RUSSO: Thank you, George.