Court upholds dismissal of Hadithah charges

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Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani, left, arrives with his wife Alissa Chessani, center, and his defense attorneys for a hearing at Camp Pendleton, Calif., last year.


Court upholds dismissal of Hadithah charges
The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday Mar 18, 2009 17:58:09 EDT

SAN DIEGO — A military appeals court has upheld the dismissal of war crime charges against the highest-ranking Marine accused of failing to investigate the killings of 24 Iraqis in 2005.

The ruling on Tuesday agreed with a Camp Pendleton military judge’s decision to dismiss charges against Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani.

In June 2008, the judge found that a four-star general overseeing the case was improperly influenced by an investigator probing the killings in Hadithah.

The Marine Corps can appeal the ruling to a higher military court or to the Supreme Court.

A spokesman for the Marine Corps Forces Central Command said no decision had been made.


Article at: http://marinecorpstimes.com/news/2009/03/ap_marine_hadithah_031809/%2e