Army Said to Clear 4 Officers in Prison Scandal

A comprehensive Army review has determined that top officers stationed in Iraq during the Abu Ghraib prison scandal, including Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, should not be held liable for any wrongdoing or leadership failures, congressional sources said.

Reviews by the Army Inspector General’s office and the Judge Advocate General, the service’s top lawyer, found no substance to any allegation against Sanchez, who was the senior ground commander in Iraq, or his key staff, according to these sources. The staff included his deputy, Maj. Gen. Walter Wojdakowski, intelligence officer Maj. Gen. Barbara Fast and legal officer Col. Marc Warren.

So far, the only allegations substantiated have been against Brig. Gen. Janis Karpinski, an Army Reserve officer who commanded the 800th Military Police Brigade, including the Maryland-based 372nd Military Police Company. Karpinski has been suspended from command and received a letter of reprimand for leadership failures.

Six soldiers from her unit have been convicted and two others await trial involving the abuses of detainees at the Abu Ghraib prison outside Baghdad.

Asked about the outcome of the review, Brig. Gen. Vincent K. Brooks, an Army spokesman, said, “In response to public expectations about senior leader punishment even before findings have been made public: We are doing what our citizens expect us to do for any citizen -- protecting their rights while ensuring we find and act appropriately on the truth. We will not rush to judgment in these cases or in any others.”

Senior Pentagon officials, who requested anonymity, said 12 officers above the rank of colonel had been investigated and that reports had been completed on 11. None of the allegations involve criminal charges; they revolve around leadership issues or official duties.

Two other officers at the center of the Abu Ghraib scandal, Col. Thomas M. Pappas, who commanded the military intelligence unit at the prison, and Lt. Col. Steven Jordan, who ran the interrogation center, were not among the dozen under review. Both are still under separate investigation and could face criminal charges, Pentagon officials said.

Although some of the official investigations into Abu Ghraib did not cite any culpability among senior civilian officials or military officers, one of the probes, headed by former Defense Secretary James R. Schlesinger, issued a report last summer criticizing senior officers, particularly Sanchez.

The report said Sanchez was understandably focused on fighting a growing Iraqi insurgency and failed to ensure that his staff was dealing with Abu Ghraib’s command and resources problems.

Sen. John W. Warner (R-Va.), chairman of the Armed Services Committee, released a statement Friday saying he strongly agreed with the conclusions of the Schlesinger report that commanders are ultimately responsible for their units.

The senior Pentagon officials insisted Friday that the Army reviews, which began in the fall of last year, were comprehensive and included 37 sworn statements.