British
and Irish Legal Information Institute
Freely Available British and Irish Public Legal Information
[Home] [Databases] [World Law] [Multidatabase Search] [Help] [Feedback]
Special Immigrations Appeals Commission
You are here: BAILII >> Databases >> Special Immigrations Appeals Commission >> Naseer & Ors v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2010] UKSIAC 77/2009 (18 May 2010)
URL: http://www.bailii.org/uk/cases/SIAC/2010/77_2009.html
Cite as: [2010] UKSIAC 77/2009
[New search] [Printable PDF version] [Help]
Appeal no: SC/77/80/81/82/83/09
Hearing Dates: 9th 26th March 2010
Date of Judgment: 18th May 2010
SPECIAL IMMIGRATION APPEALS COMMISSION
OPEN JUDGMENT
Before:
THE HONOURABLE MR JUSTICE MITTING (Chairman)
SENIOR IMMIGRATION JUDGE WARR
MR J DALY
ABID NASEER, AHMAD FARAZ KHAN, SHOAIB KHAN,
ABDUL WAHAB KHAN and TARIQ UR REHMAN
APPELLANTS
and
SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE HOME DEPARTMENT
RESPONDENT
For the Appellant Abid Naseer: Mr J Bennathan QC and Ms S Harrison (instructed by
Birnberg Peirce & Partners Solicitors)
For the Appellant Ahmad Faraz Khan: Baroness Kennedy QC and Mr E Grieves (instructed by
Birnberg Peirce & Partners Solicitors)
For the Appellants Shoaib Khan, Mr A Malik, solicitor-advocate (of Amjad Malik Solicitors)
Abdul Wahab Khan & Tariq ur Rehman:
For the Respondent: Mr R Tam QC, Mr A O Connor and Mr S Gray (instructed by
the Treasury Solicitor)
Special Advocates for the Appellant Mr C Cory-Wright QC and Mr K Beal (instructed by the
Abid Naseer: Special Advocates Support Office)
Special Advocates for the Appellant Mr A McCullough QC and Mr Z Ahmad (instructed by the
Ahmad Faraz Khan: Special Advocates Support Office)
Special Advocates for the Appellants Ms C McGahey and Mr B Rawat (instructed by the Special
Shoaib Khan, Abdul Wahab Khan & Advocates Support Office)
Tariq ur Rehman
Page 1
The Hon. Mr Justice Mitting :
Background
1. Abid Naseer is a 24 year old Pakistani national from Peshawar. He entered the
United Kingdom on a student visa issued on 5 September 2006 with leave to
enter until 31 October 2009. He began a computer course at Liverpool John
Moores University, but withdrew from the course after a week, claiming that it
was too difficult for him. He claims that he then undertook a diploma in
English at an institution with a dubious reputation, Manchester College of
Professional Studies and moved to Manchester. He returned to Pakistan in
2007 and, again, between 26 September and 20 November 2008. From his
return until 8 April 2009, he lived at 36 Galsworthy Avenue, Manchester, with
5 (eventually 6) other individuals who are not the subject of these proceedings.
He was arrested on 8 April 2009, released without charge into immigration
detention on 22 April and on the same day served with notice of intention to
deport on conducive grounds for reasons of national security. He appeals
against that decision. On 29 October 2009, he applied for further leave to
remain. His application was refused by a letter served on 8 February 2010,
under paragraph 322(5) of the Immigration Rules. He appeals against that
decision, too.
2. Ahmad Faraz Khan is a 26 year old Pakistani national, from Bannu. He
entered the United Kingdom on a student visa issued on 8 September 2006, to
undertake a course in computer studies at Liverpool John Moores University.
He became ill and withdrew from the course. He applied for, and was granted
a deferral to January 2007 but, instead, claims to have undertaken a course at
Manchester College of Professional Studies. He restarted a Masters course in
Computer Security at Liverpool John Moores University in September 2008,
with considerable success. Like all of the other appellants, he was arrested on
8 April 2009 and served with notice of intention to deport on conducive
grounds on 22 April. He appeals against that decision. His original visa
expired on 31 January 2008, but he applied, successfully, for it to be extended
until 31 December 2009. An application for further leave to remain, made on 8
December 2009, was refused under paragraph 322(5) of the Immigration
Rules, by a letter dated 22 February 2010. He appeals against that decision.
3. Tariq Ur Rehman is a 39 year old Pakistani national from Miran Shah. He is a
widower, with two daughters who live in Pakistan. He entered the United
Kingdom on a student visa in September 2007 with leave to enter until 31
December 2008, to study at Liverpool John Moores University. He did not
attend the university and instead claims that he sought admission to
Manchester College of Professional Studies, to undertake a Diploma in
English. He applied for a highly skilled graduate worker visa on 28 September
and was granted leave to remain until 29 September 2010. He returned to
Pakistan from 16 November 2008 until 24 March 2009. On attempting to re-
enter the United Kingdom, his leave to remain was cancelled and he was
granted temporary admission. The reason for the cancellation was that
documents which he had submitted, including a postgraduate Diploma in
Business Management, purportedly issued by the Cambridge College of
Learning, were false. He was arrested on 8 April 2009 and a notice of
Page 2
intention to deport on conducive grounds was served on him on 22 April. He
left for Pakistan on 10 June 2009, whereupon the notice of intent to deport him
was revoked. On the same day, his leave to remain was cancelled under
paragraph 321A(2) of the Immigration Rules. He was also refused leave to
enter under paragraph 323(i) of the Immigration Rules on the ground that his
presence in the United Kingdom was not conducive to the public good for
reasons of national security. He appeals against both decisions.
4. Abdul Wahab Khan is a 27 year old Pakistani national from Tank. He arrived
in the United Kingdom on 2 October 2006 on a student visa sponsored by
Liverpool John Moores University. His leave to remain was extended until 31
December 2009. He did not undertake the course at Liverpool John Moore s
University but, instead, in March 2007 claims to have undertaken a four month
course at the Manchester College of Professional Studies. He began a course
in computer network security at Liverpool John Moores University in
September 2008, which he was undertaking successfully. He was arrested on 8
April 2009 and served with notice of intention to deport on conducive grounds
on 22 April. He left the United Kingdom on 21 August 2009, whereupon the
notice of intention to deport was withdrawn. On 18 December 2009 he was
notified of a decision to cancel his leave to remain under article 13(7)(b) of the
Immigration (Leave to Enter and Remain) Order 2000 on the ground that his
presence in the United Kingdom would not be conducive to the public good
for reasons of national security. He appeals against that decision.
5. Shoaib Khan is a 31 year old Pakistani national. He entered the United
Kingdom in 2005 on a student visa valid until 25 August 2006, to study at
Middlesex College. On 9 September 2006 he was granted further leave to
remain until 31 October 2007, to study accountancy at Kaplan in Manchester.
He was granted two further extensions to his visa, expiring on 31 January
2010. He made three visits to Pakistan in December 2007, March 2008 and
December 2008. He was arrested on 8 April 2009 and a notice of intention to
deport on conducive grounds was served on him on 22 April. He left for
Pakistan on 21 August 2009, whereupon the notice of intention to deport was
withdrawn. On 18 December 2009 his leave to remain was cancelled under
article 13(7)(b) of the Immigration (Leave to Enter and Remain) Order 2000
on the ground that his presence in the United Kingdom would not be
conducive to the public good for reasons of national security. He appeals
against that decision.
6. Despite the differences in the procedural route by which decisions to deport or
exclude the appellants have been taken, the first issue in each case is the same:
is it conducive to the public good for reasons of national security to deport or
exclude the appellant? In Rehman s case, there is an additional ground: the
making of false representations and the submission of false documents to
obtain leave to remain under paragraph 321A(2) of the Immigration Rules. In
the cases of Naseer and Faraz, there is a second issue: can the United
Kingdom deport them without breaching their rights under Article 3 ECHR?
In the cases of Rehman, Wahab and Shoaib, they seek on Article 3 grounds
a direction to facilitate entry clearance for them.
Page 3
National Security
7. The Secretary of State s case is that each of the appellants was a party to a plot
to carry out a mass-casualty attack in North West England between 15 and 20
April 2009. The open case is founded upon a series of emails exchanged
between a Pakistani registered email account sana_pakhtana@yahoo.com and
an email account admittedly used by Naseer humaonion@yahoo.com between
30 November 2008 and 3 April 2009. The Security Service s assessment is
that the user of the sana_pakhtana account was an Al Qaeda associate, that the
messages from humaonion described different ingredients for explosives and
identified, in general terms, the operatives who would carry out the attack and
that, in the email of 3 April 2009, Naseer declared his and their intention to
carry out a mass-casualty attack between 15 and 20 April.
8. In reaching the conclusions expressed below, we have taken into account a
substantial volume of closed material. Our decisions have been based
substantially or, in some instances determinatively, upon that material. The
open advocates have submitted that it is not open to us to reach a decision by
that means. The issue is to be determined in an appeal to the Court of Appeal
in June in other cases. We have applied SIAC s settled jurisprudence on this
question. If an appellate court decides that we have been wrong to do so, any
unsuccessful appellant will be entitled to have his appeal re-determined in the
light of the appellate court s decision.
9. For reasons which are wholly set out in the closed judgment, we are sure
satisfied to the criminal standard that the user of the sana_pakhtana account
was an Al Qaeda associate.
10. Naseer admits that he set up the humaonion account. Given that it was set up
on 14 November 2008, it follows that he set it up in Pakistan (he did not fly
back to the United Kingdom until 20 November). The sana_pakhtana account
was set up on 30 November 2008 at 11.03 GMT in Pakistan. At 11.16 at the
same day the following message was sent to the humaonion account:
Subject: sohaib here
Hi
how are you I am fine tell me that how are you any kink of help
for me so plz tell me ok. and salam to ur girl friend from my
side. and how is going on ur study wish you all the best good
luck
BYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEe
At 22.33 GMT on the same day, the message was accessed at Naseer s
humaonion account. On 3 December at 11.33 Naseer sent the following
message to sana_pakhtana:
Page 4
Subject: sohaib here
Salam,
Thanks for discovering about me. I am doing well and having a
good time. Hope you ok as well. I have been thinking of you
for long time and was delighted to hear from you. How is the
weather over your side? How are your mates doing? I have
heard that shahkirullah was not feeling well. I hope he is, his
family and friends are ok. I went to see my mates in other city
and came back last week. The weather over here is very cold. I
saw a slight glimpse of Huma day before yesterday but she was
very weak and difficult to convince. She says she is busy with
her studies and it will take her long. Nadia is more gorgeous
than huma at the moment and she is easy to befriend and since
new year is coming so I guess she will suit me on that moment.
Nadia is crystal clear girl and it wont take long to relate with
her. Her parents like me as well. What do u suggest my friend?
That s all from my side. Pay salam to aisha and chotu.
Take care.
On 14 December at 12.18 (following an aborted attempt at 12.10),
sana_pakhtana replied:
Subject: Re: sohaib here new mail
walaikum salam
how are u i hope u will fine. we all are fine and shakirullah and
has family are find and how is going on ur study now a days ?
and the weather is fine here nice weather here. and
conragulation eid day u and ur family from my side.. any kind
of help for us so plz tell me ok. hmm tell me that how is ur
sweety girl friend I miss her alot and pay to my salam for her,
Thats all from my side. Pay my salam to all students
replay me
take care
Naseer read the message on 15 December and replied at 20.47 at the same
day:
Page 5
Asalamo Aliakom
Many thanks for your Eid Greetings. Eid Mubarak to you and
all your family and friends. I am very well at at the moment and
I also enjoyed my eid as well. We had loads of meat to eat. I
did my own qurbani at home and all my mates were so
delighted to see bags of meat. I am sure you had a cheerful Eid
day. It is good to hear about shahkirullah,s good health. Pay my
Eid greeting to him as well.
Everything is going well over here. Weather is nice and cool.
We had snowfall recently follwed by tonnes of rain water
LOL.. My study is going well. I am looking for work at the
moment because I am jobless. A friend of me told me he will
keep me at this shop but without pay. The day I understand the
procedure of working they will start paying me. I am happy at
this place. He is a nice guy.
About my Girl Friend. As I told you about huma,s affair. She is
nice and I still love her. Somebody told me she works in my
friend,s shop I am going to join so lets see If she is still there. I
will ask the staff and other fellows if she was or is around then
we will see what happens. Nadia is still waiting for my
response. She is very loyal and She has created a place in my
heart. You know Gulnaz and fozia. WOW man. I would love to
get them in my friends list but you know I have been thinking
about their abilities. Gulnaz sounds ok but she is found of
money and in order to approch her I must find work to save
money. Fozia is some times bull shit. She lets you down
sometime. I haven t got her contact number. I will try to figure
out her contact and then I will talk to her.
I am still keeping my car because most of the jobs they ask for
it and other reason is you know girls mostly like guys with car.
They love money and nice car. Thats they all about.
Thats all for now. Pay my good wishes to chuto. Take are of
your self.
Allah Hafiz
On 1 January 2009 Naseer created a new account: chipyparveen@yahoo.com.
On 4 January at 13.00, he sent a message on that account to sana_pakhtana:
Subject: Shobi
Salam Shobi How are you there? How is your family and
friend,s? I hope they are ok. its very cold over here and there is
no rain. The weather is dry. I am enjoying my self and my girl
Page 6
friend is ok as well. I have found work so most of the time I am
busy at it. How is shaki, his wife and his kids. They are grown
up now I guess. Anyways thats all nothing new. Take care
Allah hafiz
Zeeshan
(Naseer explained that the signature Zeeshan was a mistake. This statement
was not challenged). sana_pakhtana did not reply to that message. The text of
the next message, sent on 15 January at 12.38 reads like a reply to Naseer s
message of 15 December 2008:
Subject: Re:
walikum o salam
thank for good mail nice I am very happy to see it. We all are
five and told me how are u. i hope u will fine inshallah. and
how is going on ur study and ur life. chotooo is also fine and be
happy. hmmmm so u have alot of girl friendsss me also like
girlsssss pay my salam for ur girls friend ok when ever u will
marii soo plz first seee ur girl friend how is she is she nice
and beautiy and honest. bec we marii in life on one time there
for we can seee and be carefull and be relaxx then u marii
okkkkkkk and see a new car and take buy it and any kind of
help from my sife plz telll me okkkkkk
bye bye take careeeeeeee
On 26 January, at 11.09, Naseer sent a message on the chipyparveen account,
which he repeated, from the humaonion account on 16 February at 13.35:
Subject: Salam Shobi
Salam, Well it has been long time no see LOL. Anyways I am
glad to have your mail. I am doing well thanks. I have found a
security job now and there is good money in it. I was in need of
money because of the family problems and above all the
marriage ceremony. You know what girls are like. They
demands loads of stuff Jewellery, Dresses, beauty things and
many more. The girls born over here are very modern so you
have to take care of their demands every time. I am satisfied
with my company of females LOL. They are simple and easily
managable. All you have to do is to be serious and give them
plenty of time. I am constantly in touch with the famalies of the
girls I mentioned before and will choose which ever can be my
faithfull and loving wife. I am bore of being a bachelor now
Page 7
LOL so I would try to make it happen in the near future. I will
be careful about my choice beacuase your whole family life
depends upon the decision. I will look at every aspect of their
family and relatives and I am sure when the engagement is
finalised then it will be huge party for everyone. I am trying to
include as many as possible in ceremony when it take place and
hopefully it will happen. As you mentioned about the car, well
yes I am saving some money to buy a nice and reliable vehicle
which will be enough for my bride and my childrens in future
LOL. I hope everyone of your family members including
youngesters and elders are fine and enjoying best of their
health. The weather is getting warmer nowadays and Nothing
new happening to write down. Pay my salam to chotu and love
to Ali. Any kind of service plz do write to me. Thanks and kind
regards
Sana_pakhtana did not reply. The final message was sent on the humaonion
account at 16.19 GMT on 3 April 2009:
Subject: Re: sohaib
Hi Buddy,
I am sure my mail will find you in good health and all your
family members are enjoying them self. I am doing well as
usual and having good time. The weather is getting warmer
here and we have loads of things to enjoy. You know how is it
over here when its summer. People out to the beaches and
going on holidays. Well we had some short trips to riverside as
well. My mates are fine and yes my affiar with Nadia is soon
turning in to family life. I met with Nadia family and we both
parties agreed to conduct the nikah after 15th and before 20th of
this month. I have confirmed the dates from them and they said
you should be ready between these dates. I am delighted that
they have strong family values and we will have many guests
attending the party. I am sure Nadia was the right choice for me
at this time because I was getting older day by day LOL.
Anyways I wished you could be here as well to enjoy the party.
Thats all from here, nothing new to write down. Pay my love to
little Hasan and regards to all your family members.
Thanks
Kind Regards
11. In an unsigned and undated detailed witness statement prepared for these
proceedings, adopted and, with amendments repeated in his oral evidence,
Page 8
Naseer has provided a detailed explanation of the emails. In summary, it is as
follows. He was searching for a wife. One of the means of doing so was by
accessing chat rooms in which he could meet Muslim women. The
humaonion account was set up for this purpose, as was demonstrated by the
large number of accounts with womens names which he accessed from it.
One of the accounts which he accessed was sana_pakhtana an account, like
humaonion, which bore a woman s name. He started a conversation with
sana , but soon discovered that, like huma , he was a man. He said that he
was a student in Islamabad and that his name was Sohaib. He spoke to him on
Yahoo Chat most days until about January 2009. They also exchanged the
emails set out above. Those from him which refer to women by name refer to
real women by the names by which he knew them. He met Huma at a bus
stop in Longsight in December 2008 and, a second time, walking down the
street. She gave him the cold shoulder, hence the reference in the email of 3
December 2008 to her being difficult to convince . She said that she worked
in a cosmetics chop in Longsight, so he told Sohaib in the email of 15
December 2008 that it was his friend s shop to make out that he knew her
better than he did. He met the remaining three women on the internet. Nadia
and he corresponded on MSN and they agreed to meet. He sent her a picture of
himself. She told him that she had shown the picture to her parents who said
they liked the look of him. Hence, the statement in the email of 3 December
that her parents like me . He thought that she was very straightforward.
Hence, the reference to her being crystal clear girl . He had arranged to meet
her at a car park in Salford, at which he waited for two hours, but she did not
show up. Gulnaz talked about money and expensive things in their instant
messaging chats. Hence, the statement in the email of 15 December that she
was fond of money . Fozia said that she would not marry until she was 30,
which is why he told Sohaib that she was bull shit and lets you down
sometime in the 15 December email. He was going to ask for her telephone
number, to try to convince her to marry before she was 30. Hence the
statement that he was going to figure out her contact number and talk to her .
12. Naseer said that the Nadia referred to in the email of 3 April 2009 was not the
Nadia to whom he had referred in the December emails. It was a reference to a
real young woman, but not to her real name. The young woman was Miss Y.
She gave evidence in the hearing. She was a patently truthful witness. She and
Naseer did form a relationship. Save to the precise timing of the true events
which she described at the end of the relationship, about which we are
satisfied she is mistaken, we accept that her evidence is truthful and reliable.
Her evidence, which did not differ materially from that of Naseer on the
subject of the relationship was as follows. She was 17. She gained access to
the Qiran.com website a marriage website for Muslims. At the end of
January or the beginning of February 2009, she met Naseer on that website.
They exchanged email addresses and talked for about an hour. Thereafter,
they would speak to each other every day for an hour or two. He said that he
was looking for a wife. She did not want to get married straight away, but did
want to get to know him better. She gave him her mobile telephone number.
She persuaded him to set up a Vodafone family contract under which, for £5
a month, they could conduct unlimited telephone conversations. They did so,
daily, for hours on end. She also talked (on Qiran.com) with a friend of
Page 9
Naseer s. He told Naseer, who called her to say that she had broken his trust
and the relationship was over. Two days later, he relented and called her again.
They decided to meet. They did so outside Lidl in Kingston Upon Thames.
She found him shy and personable. She was happy that she had met the right
man. He told her to tell her mother, which she did. Her mother was not happy,
but agreed to meet him. He drove down to London with his cousin to meet her
mother on 14 March 2009. Naseer spoke to her mother, who said that she
would think about the marriage proposal. In the end, she agreed to it. While
she was thinking about her decision, she and Naseer agreed that they should
not talk to each other and did not do so. When her mother agreed, she tried to
get in touch with Naseer, by telephone and by text message, unsuccessfully.
Both of them said that he emailed her to tell her that the marriage was not
going forward and that she was extremely angry about his decision. She gave
the date of the email as near the end of March. She put the date about 5 days
before her sister s birthday on 31 March. The reason which he gave was that
they were two different families: her family was modern. His was not. They
did not speak by telephone after he sent the email, but they did communicate
by MSN or, as he put it, instant messaging. He said that the last
conversation which they had was on 2 April 2009. She heard nothing further
from him.
13. He said that, by the morning of 3 April 2009, he had changed his mind and
wanted to get back together with her. He thought that if he told her he had
made a mistake, she would agree to his renewed proposal: her family had
already agreed to it. There would have been a party at Miss Y s home in April,
which he would have attended. Hence, the statement in the email of 3 April
that both parties had agreed to conduct the nikah (Islamic wedding) after 15th
and before 20th April and that many guests would attend the party. His
explanation for the sentence I have confirmed the dates from them and they
said you should be ready between these dates , is that those were the dates
which he had had in mind for a long time and that Miss Y s family had told
him to be ready between those dates.
14. We reject Naseer s explanations for the terms of the emails, in particular the
reference to four named women and the whole of his explanation for the email
of 3 April, as utterly implausible. Even without the closed material, we would
not have accepted it. That material satisfies us to the criminal standard that
Naseer s account of the emails is a lie, deliberately told to conceal their true
meaning. He has carefully woven an account of a real relationship with Miss
Y into a false explanation of the emails, in particular of the 3 April email. He
did not change his mind about marrying Miss Y on the morning of 3 April. We
are sure that that email conveyed a sinister and alarming message to an Al
Qaeda associate. What that message was, we discuss below.
15. The Security Service assesses that the references to, and comments upon, the
four named women in the December emails, are references to different
ingredients of explosives, their properties and availability. For the reasons
which are wholly set out in the closed judgment, we are satisfied, on balance
of probabilities, that that assessment is right. We have reached that conclusion
despite the complete absence of any evidence of the handling or preparation of
Page 10
explosives by Naseer and his alleged associates. It is a fact that, despite
extensive searches of buildings associated with them, nothing has been found,
apart from an irrelevant trace of RDX in one of the properties. Mr Bennathan
QC submits that this sets it apart from all previous Islamist terrorist plots to
cause explosions in the United Kingdom which succeeded or were disrupted
before they could be carried out. With one caveat we have heard no evidence
or submission about the unsuccessful plot to set off a car bomb outside a
nightclub in the Haymarket we accept that submission. Possible answers to it
were given by witness ZR in closed evidence. Although we cannot set out our
reasoning in this open judgment, we can set out our conclusion: there are
pointers to an imminent attack, apart from the language of the 3 April email
and it is possible that one could have been carried out within the time frame
indicated by it; but, in the end, we are unable to determine whether Naseer and
his associates would, in fact, have been able to carry out an attack intended to
cause mass-casualties between 15 and 20 April. We are, however, satisfied, at
least on balance of probabilities, that, by the 3 April email, he declared to an
Al Qaeda associate that that was his intention.
16. For the reasons stated, we are satisfied that Naseer was an Al Qaeda operative
who posed and still poses a serious threat to the national security of the United
Kingdom and that, subject to the issue of safety on return, it is conducive to
the public good that he should be deported.
17. Determination of the threat, if any, posed to national security by the other four
appellants depends upon whether or not they were knowing parties to Naseer s
declared intention.
18. Naseer, Rehman, Wahab and Faraz, but not Shoaib, knew each other before
they came to the United Kingdom. Wahab and Faraz became close friends
university in Islamabad. Both were good friends not best friends of
Rehman. Naseer says that he met all three at the representative office of
Liverpool John Moores University in Peshawar. Wahab, Faraz and
Mohammed Ramzan, who lived at 51 Cedar Road, Liverpool from January
2008 until their arrest on 8 April 2009, had intended to travel to Liverpool at
the same time in the autumn of 2006. Wahab and Faraz did so, within a few
days of each other, but Ramzan did not, due to visa difficulties. Naseer,
Rehman, Wahab and Faraz all claimed to have attended, at some time, the
Manchester College of Professional Studies. Wahab and Faraz may have
undertaken genuine courses there, because they subsequently undertook the
same course at Liverpool John Moores University diligently and with success;
but we doubt that Naseer did so and are confident that Rehman did not. He
claimed to have studied for a Diploma in English, but required a Pushtu
interpreter to give evidence. Shoaib became a friend of Wahab when playing
cricket together and, through him, got to know Faraz and Ramzan. He was a
diligent student of Accountancy at Kaplan (latterly, in Liverpool), with an
attendance record of 98% in 2008 and 100% in 2009. He says that he met
Naseer on no more than four occasions. There is no evidence to contradict that
claim. There is no evidence that he knew or had ever met Rehman.
19. Before Rehman flew to Pakistan on 16 November 2008, he had featured in a
large number of photographs stored on, and retrieved from, a pen drive
Page 11
recovered from him on his arrest. Many of them are not the sort of
photographs which would have been taken to show friends or relatives. For
example, there are several photographs of the Arndale Centre and its exits
featuring Rehman and another man, taken on at least two different days. The
Security Service considers that they may constitute hostile reconnaissance. For
reasons set out in the closed judgment, we think it is more likely than not that
they do. We do not accept Rehman s explanation that they were tourist
photographs. When he was cross-examined about them by Mr Tam QC, he
prevaricated and claimed not to understand the purpose of the questions:
What do you want to do by asking a question like that my mind has not
been able to grasp your question .
20. The photographs were taken before Rehman left for Pakistan on 16 November
(some of them show trees in leaf and people in shirt sleeves). Although his
visit to Pakistan overlapped Naseer s visit by no more than four days, he met
Naseer in Peshawar twice he says, once at a restaurant and once to give him
money which he had brought over with him from the United Kingdom. The
last explanation was remarkable: he said that after the first meeting, he had left
Peshawar and so had to return to give Naseer money which he could easily
have given to him before he left. We are satisfied that we have not been told
the truth about these meetings by Rehman.
21. On 30 November 2008, 10 days after his return from Pakistan and on the same
day as the sana_pakhtana account was created, Naseer visited 51 Cedar Grove,
Liverpool. It is now accepted that both Wahab and Faraz were there when he
did so. Faraz originally claimed that he may have been working on his
computer in the Liverpool John Moores University library and, in the course
of his cross-examination, challenged Mr Tam to demonstrate that that was not
so. He did, by undisputed evidence from the university that Faraz did not visit
the library on 30 November. The record of computer use at 51 Cedar Grove on
30 November shows that Faraz made extensive and continuous use of his
computer for ordinary work purposes until shortly after 22.02. The same
record shows that Naseer s samebutdifferent@gmail.com was accessed on
Wahab s computer at 22.23. It is not disputed that 10 minutes later, Naseer
accessed the first sana_pakhtana email on the same computer. In his email of 3
December to sana_pakhtana, Naseer stated I went to see my mates in other
city and came back last week . We are satisfied, at least on balance of
probabilities, that that was a reference to his visit to 51 Cedar Grove on 30
November (a Sunday). It follows that the mates in other city at least
included Wahab and Faraz. Given that the message was the first of a series
about an intended attack, we are satisfied that this part of the message was not
inconsequential social discourse, but an indication, by Naseer, that he had seen
people whom he intended should play a part in his plan.
22. The next meeting on which the Security Service relies is the party held at 51
Cedar Grove on 23 March 2009. We accept that there was a party, attended by
a number of people, some of whom were nothing to do with any plot.
Attendance at the party is not, as such, an indicator of participation. We do not
regard the fact that Shoaib took time off work to attend it as significant, nor
the fact that this was the second occasion upon which he had met Naseer (the
Page 12
first was during Ramadan in 2008). The meeting was of significance for
Naseer, Wahab and Faraz, for the reasons explained in the closed judgment.
We are satisfied that it was not just a coincidence that it took place the day
before Rehman returned from Pakistan. One superficially unimportant part of
Faraz s evidence did not ring true: he claimed that Naseer s impending
marriage was discussed at the party and that, after most of the guests had left,
he said that he wanted to get married to the girl, was in love, but was waiting
for her mother s decision. For reasons set out in the closed judgment, we
believe this part of his evidence to be untrue. We prefer Shoaib s evidence that
either nothing was said about Naseer s marriage or he could not remember
anything being said about it.
23. For the reasons set out in the closed judgment, we regard attendance at the
meeting on 1 April as of great significance. Those who attended were Naseer,
Rehman, Wahab, Faraz and Ramzan. Wahab, Faraz and Ramzan drove over to
Manchester to meet Naseer and Rehman. Their purpose was not, as they
claimed, to welcome Rehman back from Pakistan, to commiserate with him
about the death of his father. In paragraph 11 of his detailed witness statement,
dated 30 October 2009, Rehman gave the following account of the reason for
his return to Pakistan and what happened there:
In November 2008 I returned to Pakistan as both my parents
were ill. My father sadly passed away and so I stayed for a
while to help with the funeral arrangements and to console my
family.
In an earlier statement made for the purpose of a bail hearing, and in his oral
evidence, he said that his father had died in April 2008. When asked to explain
the difference, he said:
I am only human. Humans do make mistakes. I have made a
mistake about the dates .
Mr Malik sought to deflect the blame for the error to his firm, by attributing
the words in paragraph 11 to a drafting error; but privilege has not been
waived on any material to explain it and it does not explain Rehman s own
answers about how the error came to be made. Wahab said in evidence that he
thought that Rehman s father had died in September 2008. Faraz said that
Wahab had told him that Rehman had returned from Pakistan and said
something about his family being upset because his father had died. None of
this makes sense. We are satisfied, at least on balance of probabilities, that this
bungled attempt at explaining the reason for the meeting is an attempt to cover
up its true purpose. That purpose was connected with the 3 April email. It is
not a coincidence that Naseer s mates in other city and the man whose
image appeared in many of the suspect photographs who had returned from
Pakistan a few days before, met together less than two days before an email
announcing an intention to carry out a mass-casualty attack was sent to an Al
Page 13
Qaeda associate. It is also a fact of some significance that Shoaib did not
attend the meeting.
24. For the reasons explained in the closed judgment, we do regard Naseer s trip
to Liverpool on 4 April, to see the occupants of 51 Cedar Grove as significant.
We accept that Faraz was not there throughout the whole of 4 and 5 April and
did refuse to give Naseer the password to his computer. We accept that, at
some time during the weekend, he visited Fatou Fatty and (with others) Layak,
in hospital. We readily accept that the whole weekend was not devoted to
attack planning. All that can safely be inferred is that there was time for
Naseer s mates in other city to discuss it during his visit, which lasted until
the morning of 6 April. The Security Service places significance on Shoaib s
arrival, with Wahab and Ramzan, on 4 April. There is nothing to show that
this was not simply a coincidence: he had undoubtedly been playing cricket
with Wahab that afternoon and returned with him with a view to spending the
evening together socialising.
25. The Security Service also place significance on an apparently pointless drive
lasting just over 2 hours around the Wirral peninsula in the late afternoon and
early evening of 5 April. The drive took place in Shoaib s car, with him
driving. Naseer, Wahab and Faraz were passengers. The occupants of the car
disagree about whether or not it stopped during the drive, to permit some or all
of them to walk on Hoylake Beach. We accept the assessment of the Security
Service that the drive provided an opportunity to talk about attack planning.
We make no finding about whether or not such discussion occurred. If we
were to be satisfied that it had, it would not necessarily have implicated
Shoaib, who does not speak Pushtu. A short discussion in that language could
have occurred, without arousing suspicion or concern on his part.
26. For the reasons set out above, and in the closed judgment, we are satisfied, on
balance of probabilities, that Wahab was a committed Islamist extremist and
that he and Rehman were knowing participants in Naseer s plans. Subject to
Mr Malik s submission that a direction should be given to facilitate entry
clearance for them, we are satisfied that it would not be conducive to the
public good to permit them to re-enter, for reasons of national security.
27. Faraz s case is, in principle, indistinguishable from Wahab s, for the reasons
set out above and in the closed judgment. He and his father have, however,
given evidence which has caused us to examine and re-examine that
conclusion with care. His father was a forceful and truthful witness, save,
perhaps, about the financial affairs of his family (from which we draw no
inference adverse to him or to his son). As a government servant and
postmaster in Bannu, he is far more likely to be a target, than a supporter, of
the Taliban. He expresses forthright, and we have no doubt, truthful, views
about extremism: he denounces it. He has provided for the education of his
children, including daughters, to a high level. We have no doubt that he is not
a supporter of Islamist extremism in any of its guises. He clearly, and strongly,
believes in his son s innocence of the allegations made against him. In his
witness statement, and in his descriptions of his early life in Pakistan, Faraz
gives a convincing account of aligning himself with his father s views. If the
conclusion which we have reached that he was, on balance of probabilities, a
Page 14
knowing party to Naseer s plans is right, he must have undergone a radical
change of view between leaving home and arriving in the United Kingdom.
For reasons which are largely set out in the closed judgment, we are satisfied
that he must have done, so that by the time he arrived in the United Kingdom
he shared the outlook of his close friend Wahab. By coming to the United
Kingdom to share a house with him and by participating in the events which
led to the sending of the 3 April email, he can safely be taken to have been
willing to participate, with Wahab, in Naseer s plans.
28. Shoaib is in a different position. He is from a settled area of Pakistan, not the
troubled North West. He did not know any of the other four appellants before
he arrived in the United Kingdom in 2005. He does not speak their first
language. He did not attend or claim to have attended the Manchester College
of Professional Studies: he was a genuine student of Accountancy at a
reputable college. Nothing in the manner in which he gave his evidence
caused us to doubt that he was telling the truth: he answered questions in a
calm and straight forward way and did not (like Faraz) bluster or (like Wahab
and Rehman) prevaricate. There is nothing necessarily suspect about the first
three occasions on which he met Naseer. He volunteered the first (in Ramadan
2008 we do not regard it as suspect that he put his first meeting with a man
who was no more than an acquaintance somewhat later when interviewed by
the police). His attendance at the party on 23 March gives rise to no greater
suspicion than that of other individuals who attended and are not now the
object of suspicion. His arrival at 51 Cedar Grove on 4 April 2009 is explained
by his returning from the cricket match in which both he and Wahab played.
Only the drive to the Wirral on 5 April gives rise to real grounds for suspicion
which is capable of being dispelled by the difference in first language
between him and the other three. We accept that the police had reasonable
grounds to arrest him on 8 April and that the Security Service reasonably
suspected that he was a knowing party to Naseer s plans. We are, however,
satisfied on balance of probabilities, on the basis of the open and closed
material, that Shoaib was not a knowing party to his plans and that the grounds
for suspicion that he was have largely been dispelled and do not now reach the
threshold of reasonable suspicion. Even if we were to adopt a less stringent
test in relation to proof of past events than the balance of probabilities, we
would not have determined that it is conducive to the public good for reasons
of national security that he should be excluded from the United Kingdom. We
accordingly allow his appeal. It would not be appropriate for us to give
directions under section 87 Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002. It
is for the Secretary of State to determine what should be done in the light of
our judgment.
Additional Ground for excluding Rehman
29. When Rehman submitted his application for leave to remain under the Tier 1
(Post Study Work) scheme, he submitted a postgraduate Diploma in Business
Management at Cambridge College of Learning to UKBA. He also told an
Immigration Officer that he had undertaken the diploma course between 17
September 2007 and 25 August 2008. Both the document and the
representation were false, as he admitted in evidence (though not in his
Page 15
witness statement, which contains the lie that he completed the diploma). He
said in evidence that he bought the diploma from a man called Bilal at the
Manchester College of Professional Studies, for £2000. He admitted that he
used it to gain a two year extension of his visa. He admitted that he did not
study Business Management. It has now been authoritatively determined that
Cambridge College of Learning never offered a Diploma in Business
Management: NA and Others (Cambridge College of Learning) (Pakistan)
(2009) UKAIT 00031. The Immigration Officer who cancelled his leave to
remain on his return to the United Kingdom on 24 April 2009 was,
accordingly, required to do so under paragraph 321(A)(2) of the Immigration
Rules. Subject to Mr Malik s argument, referred to above, there is no basis
upon which we could properly interfere with that decision.
Safety on return
30. Subject to Mr Malik s point, this issue only arises in the cases of Naseer and
Faraz. As in other cases where this issue arises, the issue gives rise to two
basic questions: does what is known about the conduct of state agencies in the
country to which it is proposed to deport the appellants give rise to substantial
grounds for believing that there would be a real risk of ill-treatment sufficient
to infringe their rights under Article 3 if it occurred in a Convention country at
the hands of those agencies?; if so, are there arrangements, assurances or
particular circumstances which provide a sufficient guarantee that the
individual appellant would be protected against the risk of such treatment?
(This is a slightly lengthier formulation of the test applied in Saadi v Italy
(2009) 49 EHRR 30 paragraphs 146 and 148).
31. In the light of two answers, given in the course of his oral evidence, by Mr
Layden, with his customary forthrightness, the first question can be dealt with
shortly. It is common ground that Naseer would be at risk of being detained
and questioned by the Inter-Services Intelligence Agency (ISI) at some stage
after his deportation. It is not unlikely that Faraz would be as well, particularly
if Naseer were not to be deported. Mr Layden accepted two propositions, put
to him, respectively, by SIAC & Mr Bennathan:
An individual suspected of terrorism by the ISI would be at a
high risk of torture or inhuman or degrading treatment but for
factors particular to this case
and
ISI is in the category of intelligence and security agencies who
do not share our standards .
(The answers were given in a private session, from which members of the
public and the appellants were excluded, but can be repeated here without
infringement of rule 4 of our procedure rules).
Page 16
32. If justification for those answers were required, it is provided in the report and
evidence of Mr Ali Dayan Hasan. We found him to be an impressive and
knowledgeable witness a view shared by Mr Layden. His sources are not
identical to those available to the British Government, but they are extensive,
and they do include first hand reports from participants, on both sides, in
interrogations of terrorist suspects by the ISI, frequently given on condition of
anonymity. Save for the controversial question about the alleged complicity of
British intelligence officers in alleged ill-treatment of detainees, upon which it
is unnecessary for us to express any view, we accept the thrust of Mr Hasan s
evidence. In summary, it is as follows. Despite the restoration of a
democratically elected Parliament and government, after eight years of
military rule, Pakistan remains a state dominated by its military and
intelligence agencies. There is a long and well-documented history of
disappearances, illegal detention and of the torture and ill-treatment of those
detained, usually to produce information, a confession or compliance. Al
Qaeda and the Taliban are now in active conflict with the Pakistani state. In
2009, there were 90 suicide bombs and 3000 killed. Anyone, such as Naseer,
suspected of belonging to either would be at risk at the hands of the ISI. Legal
controls are inadequate. Individuals suspected of terrorism can be held in
preventative detention for up to a year subject, notionally, to three-monthly
review by a judicial board. A recent presidential ordinance of October 2009
permits those suspected of terrorism to be detained for up to 90 days without
judicial oversight or the right of access to a court. Pakistan has signed, but not
ratified the United Nations Convention against torture. To date, the Supreme
Court, which has displayed a genuine interest in those who have been made to
disappear, has not held a single military official accountable for abuses.
33. Nothing in the large volume of published material with which we have been
supplied about conditions in Pakistan contradicts the picture painted by Mr
Hassan. On the contrary, it provides substantial support for it.
34. The Secretary of State seeks to avoid the conclusion which would otherwise
inevitably be drawn from this material that there are substantial grounds for
believing that Naseer and Faraz would be at real risk of prohibited ill-
treatment if they were to be returned to Pakistan by relying on circumstances
particular to those arrested on 8 April 2009 and on circumstances which can
only be described in the closed judgment. There are three open circumstances:
the public attention which the case of those arrested has attracted in Pakistan;
what happened to the eight (of the ten arrested) who returned to Pakistan
between 10 June and 12 October 2009; and the role of the judiciary. As to the
first two, it is undoubtedly true that the eight who returned did so in the public
spotlight and have come to no harm. On the whole, opinions expressed in the
media have been favourable to them, including a reported statement by the
Pakistani High Commissioner in London that the alleged plot was a hoax . It
is also true that none of the eight have come to any harm. Mr Layden believed,
on the basis of what representatives of the British High Commission in
Islamabad observed, that most had not been detained or spoken to by members
of the Federal Investigation Agency at the airport; but it is now accepted that
the three appellants escorted back by Mr Malik were detained for a short
period after representatives of the High Commission had left and then released
Page 17
on bail. Mr Hasan s opinion is that, although publicity can provide a measure
of protection for those suspected of terrorism, it is no guarantee of their safety.
We accept his view. The published record of the ISI suggests that, if they
thought it necessary, they could and would secure the detention of the
appellants away from the public eye. (The FIA would detain the individual
and hand him over to the ISI for interrogation). Mr Layden s third open
circumstance the role of the judiciary has, as he puts it, implications for
the Pakistani security and intelligence apparatus ; but, for the reasons
explained by Mr Hasan, does not provide an effective safeguard against ill-
treatment or worse.
35. In the end, the circumstances upon which Mr Layden relies to support his
firmly stated belief that there is no real risk that any appellant would be
subjected to prohibited ill-treatment by the ISI are circumstances which can
only be considered in closed session and set out in the closed judgment. No
open assurances were given by the Pakistani authorities. With our approval Mr
Bennathan QC made submissions about the approach which we should in
principle, adopt to confidential assurances, if given.
36. The issue has arisen before. On 12 July 2006, in an interlocutory judgment in
the cases of Y and Othman, a panel of SIAC, presided over by its then
President Ouseley J, ruled that closed evidence was admissible to support an
open assurance given by a government to the United Kingdom, but, in
paragraph 58, observed:
Nonetheless, we wish to make one point clear, which emerged
more clearly during the substantive appeals. It is our view that
the SSHD cannot rely on any substantive assurance unless it is
put into the open. It may be the case that encouraging or
supportive comments, even if described as assurances by the
Government s interlocutors, should remain in closed if for
example they are steps en route to an agreement. But the key
documents or conversations relied on to show that an
Appellants return would not breach the UK s international
obligations or put him at risk of a death sentence or death
penalty have to be in the open evidence. SIAC could not put
weight on assurances which the giver was not prepared to make
public; they would otherwise be deniable, or open to later
misunderstanding; the fact of a breach would not be known to
the public and the pressure which that might yield would be
reduced. They must be available to be tested and recorded.
Those observations were approved by Lord Philips in RB (Algeria) v SSHD
[2009] 2WLR 512 paragraph 102. It is true that Lord Philips s answer to the
question, could SIAC rely on closed material when determining the safety on
return issue?, although the same as that of the other members of the appellate
committee, was reached by a different route. Mr Bennathan accepts that his
observations are not part of the ratio decidendi of the case and are persuasive
only. Mr Tam submits that, properly construed, SIAC s ruling did not prevent
reliance on confidential assurances or, if it did, it should be departed from. His
construction of the phrase substantive assurance is that it means, and means
Page 18
only, a formal memorandum of understanding or government to government
assurance. We do not agree. The fourth sentence of paragraph 58 of SIAC s
judgment makes it clear what it had in mind: the key documents or
conversations relied on to show that an appellants return would not breach the
UK s international obligations . If the key documents or conversations
are not formal government to government assurances, they none the less
remain the key documents or conversations , because they are the only
assurances upon which reliance can be placed. We also decline Mr Tam s
invitation to depart from SIAC s statement of principle. The assessment of the
value of assurances is not a matter of law. Nevertheless, SIAC has adopted
four yardsticks by which it will ordinarily assess the reliability and value of
assurances. They were set out in BB (RB in the appellate courts) and were not
criticised indeed they appear to have been accepted by appellate courts.
The first and fourth give rise to problems if the assurances are not made
public: the terms of the assurances must be such that, if fulfilled, the
individual will not be subject to prohibited ill-treatment; and fulfilment of the
assurances must be capable of being verified. It is theoretically possible that a
written private assurance could satisfy the first requirement, but unless it was
written and unequivocal, it would be open to later misunderstanding and
would, in any event, be publicly deniable. Verification of a confidential
assurance would be problematic and could not provide the protection to an
individual which public scrutiny, by the High Commission, by local media, by
family and by organisations such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty
International, can provide. For these reasons, we agree with SIAC s
observations in Y and Othman and would not be willing to accept confidential
assurances as a sufficient safeguard against prohibited ill-treatment in a state
in which otherwise there was a real risk that it would occur.
37. Without the circumstances which we have considered in the closed judgment
we doubt that Mr Layden could reasonably have expressed himself in the
confident terms which he did; and, in any event, despite our great respect for
his views and judgement, we would not be prepared to find, on the basis of
them, that there existed a sufficient safeguard against prohibited ill-treatment
of any of the appellants. For that reason, we allow Naseer s appeal on the issue
of safety on return. We can, at present, see no ground for distinguishing the
case of Faraz and, therefore, on the same ground, allow his appeal.
38. If that view is wrong, as a matter of law, we have set out our findings on the
circumstances described in the closed sessions in the closed judgment.
39. The reaction of the Pakistani authorities to this judgment may demonstrate, in
the case of Faraz and, even, possibly, in the case of Naseer, that, assurances
apart, there would be no real risk of prohibited ill-treatment in either case. If
those who have returned to Pakistan, including Wahab and Rehman, are not
detained or, if detained, are not subjected to prohibited ill-treatment or
otherwise dealt with in an unlawful manner, that may be powerful evidence
that the risk to Faraz and, possibly, Naseer, may be judged to have been
reduced to a level below the threshold of real risk.
40. We unhesitatingly reject Mr Malik s submission that the appeals of Wahab
and Rehman should be allowed, notwithstanding our findings on national
Page 19
security, for reasons of principle and fact. Article 1 of the ECHR requires
contracting states to secure to everyone within their jurisdiction the rights and
freedoms defined in section 1 of this Convention . The Grand Chamber of the
Strasbourg Court authoritatively identified the scope of Article 1 in Bankovic v
Belgium (2007) 44 EHRR SE5 in paragraphs 59 to 73 of its decision. The following principles are clearly stated:
59. As to the ordinary meaning of the relevant term in
Article 1 of the Convention, the Court is satisfied that, from the
standpoint of public international law, the jurisdictional
competence of a state is primarily territorial
61. The Court is of the view, therefore, that Article 1 of the
Convention must be considered to reflect this ordinary and
essentially territorial notion of jurisdiction, other bases of
jurisdiction being exceptional and requiring special justification
in the particular circumstances of each case .
62. The Court finds State practice in the application of the
Convention since its ratification to be indicative of a lack of
any apprehension on the part of the Contracting States of their
extra-territorial responsibility in contexts similar to the present
case [the exercise of military power in another state]
63. Finally, the Court finds clear confirmation of this
essentially territorial notion of jurisdiction in the travaux
préparatoires which demonstrate that the Expert
Intergovernmental Committee replaced the words all persons
residing within their territories with a reference to persons
within their jurisdictions with a view to expanding the
Convention s application to others who may not reside, in the
legal sense, but who are, nevertheless, on the territory of the
Contracting States
67. In keeping with the essentially territorial notion of
jurisdiction, the Court has accepted only in exceptional cases
that the acts of the Contracting States performed, or producing
effects, outside their territories can constitute an exercise of
jurisdiction by them within the meaning of Article 1 of the
Convention.
71. In sum, the caselaw of the Court demonstrates that its
recognition of the exercise of extra-territorial jurisdiction by a
Contracting State is exceptional: it has done so when the
respondent State, through the effective control of the relevant
territory and its inhabitants abroad as a consequence of military
occupation or through the consent, invitation or acquiescence
of the government of that territory, exercises all or some of the
public powers normally to be exercised by that Government .
Page 20
The United Kingdom has no jurisdiction over Pakistani citizens physically
present in Pakistan, such as Wahab and Rehman. It cannot secure to them
the right not to be subjected to ill-treatment of a kind which, if it occurred
within a Convention state, would breach that state s obligations under Article
3. These facts do not fall into the exceptional circumstances identified by the
Court in paragraph 71 of Bankovic.
41. The reasons of fact for rejecting Mr Malik s proposition are as follows. Wahab
and Rehman find themselves in their current predicament because of their own
voluntary actions, beginning with their decision to come to the United
Kingdom. While here, they participated in events which posed a serious and
immediate threat to the national security of the United Kingdom. Despite that,
they had the opportunity to appeal against the notice of intention to deport
them from the United Kingdom. They could not have been removed while
their appeal was pending: section 78 Nationality, Immigration and Asylum
Act 2002. They chose to return to Pakistan and to appeal against the
immigration decisions subsequently taken, as, of course, is their right. They
chose to return in a blaze of publicity and to waive the anonymity which
would otherwise have been afforded to them in these proceedings. They
complain that they were assured that the notice of intention to deport them
would be revoked and that no deportation order would be made if they
returned to Pakistan. It was always inevitable that the notice of intention to
deport would be withdrawn and no deportation order made when they returned
to Pakistan: no-one can be deported who is not here. Further, our
understanding of the discussions which preceded their departure is that it was
made clear to them that, if they were to return, an immigration decision would
then be made against which they would have a right of appeal. That was done.
By exercising that right, they inevitably ran the risk that a finding adverse to
them would be made on the issue of national security, as it has been. Neither
principle nor the facts require SIAC to allow their appeal on Article 3
grounds and direct that their re-entry to the United Kingdom should be
facilitated.
42. For the reasons given, the appeals of Wahab and Rehman are dismissed.
Other matters
43. We accede to Miss McGahey s suggestion that, before this judgment is made
public, we should hear submissions about what, if any, steps should be taken
to deal with the consequences of our decision for Wahab and Rehman.
44. In the light of our findings, it is unnecessary for us to consider further the open
advocates request for an order that some or all of the documents inadvertently
disclosed to them should be made public. The purpose of further disclosure
would not be to permit us to deal fairly with the appeals, but to satisfy public
interest, legitimate or otherwise, in the matters contained in the documents.
The ad hoc procedure which was eventually adopted with the consent of all
sides (permitting the open advocates to make full use of the inadvertently
disclosed documents, on condition that they were not disclosed to the
appellants personally or to anyone else) has ensured that they could be fully
deployed by the open advocates. Further, as our open judgment on the issue of
Page 21
safety on return demonstrates, they are not determinative of this appeal. There
is a confidential, but not closed, judgment in which, for the sake of
completeness, we have briefly set out our findings on the principal issues
canvassed in the private hearing.
45. For the avoidance of doubt, lest our decision to hold a private hearing should
at some later stage be challenged, we are satisfied that we had the power to
order it under rule 43(2) of our procedure rules.
Page 22