The beleaguered Immigration Minister, Kevin Andrews, is now claiming that Dr Mohamed Haneef visited a New York strip club in 2003. Andrews says the Australian Federal Police believe that Haneef visited Scores with a shady character known for his dubious morals, but the doctor has strenuously denied knowing Col Allan.

Dr Haneef also pointed out that as a practicing Muslim, he was even more unlikely to have been drunk than Kevin Rudd, and that there was no other reason anyone would drink with the editor of the New York Post otherwise.

But Andrews rejected Haneef's claims, saying that he is party to other evidence linking Haneef to Scores that cannot be made public because it would jeopardise an ongoing investigation. He later backed up his decision by releasing excerpts of Haneef's interrogation which sounded incriminating until they were understood in their proper context.

Andrews later admitted that the AFP's desperate search for evidence that would make his decision seem reasonable was the only ongoing investigation that actually involved Dr Haneef.

{sidebar id=1}Queensland Premier Peter Beattie once again came to Dr Haneef's defence, saying that even if he had visited Scores, he was glad to hear that, like Rudd, the doctor had "some blood in his veins". Given the state of the Queensland hospital system, Beattie said, that was all that was required for him to be invited to return to work.

Kevin Rudd again refused to disagree with Howard over Haneef, but renewed his calls for a full judicial inquiry into the claims. To assist the process, the Opposition Leader offered to cross-examine the relevant lap-dancers personally.

< Prev		Next >