Mohammed Asif Ali, one of the Indian doctors interrogated in connection with the failed attack at Glasgow airport, will be flying home to Bangalore, after the Australian Federal Police returned his passport on Thursday.
Acting director-general of Queensland Health Andrew Wilson said that Dr Ali would remain under investigation, but he was free to leave the country.
The federal police had confiscated Asif's passport last month while investigating links between Asif and his colleague Mohammed Haneef.
AFP officials interrogated Ali after Haneef was arrested on July 2, but later released him without any charges.
However, Ali was suspended on July 27, after hospital authorities found out that he had faked almost three months of his employment history on his resume.
Ali was anxious to meet his family after the tumultuous events of the last two months, said Ali's lawyer Simone Healy.
"His family is very worried about him and he is anxious to get home and make sure that they are okay," said Healy.
However, the lawyer added that Ali wanted to come back to Australia and work, pending the outcome of the investigation.
"He is pretty upset. However, he is going to miss his colleagues at Queensland Health and he is hopeful of coming back," said Healy.
Healy added that the Indian doctor regretted faking his employment history. "He is very upset about what has happened in the past couple of months. He is very sorry for any mistake he may have made in the past," said the lawyer.
Authorities returned Ali's passport amid speculations that the Queensland government allowed him to leave to avoid further embarrassment over his employment on the basis of suspect credentials.
© 2024 Rediff.com -