Abu Ghraib officer fined, reprimanded

The colonel still could be relieved of his command.
LOS ANGELES TIMES
WASHINGTON -- The Army officer in charge of interrogations at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, where prisoners often were abused and sexually humiliated, has been cited for two counts of dereliction of duty, handed a formal reprimand and assessed a fine of $8,000, Army officials announced Wednesday.
But Army authorities said no decision had been made whether to relieve Col. Thomas M. Pappas of his command as head of the 205th Military Intelligence Brigade, a move that would all but end his 24-year military career.
The administrative penalties, which resulted from a disciplinary proceeding, mark the first time an Army supervisor directly assigned to the Abu Ghraib prison has been formally punished.
Others at his rank and below are still being investigated, and it remains to be seen whether more in the Army chain-of-command will be made accountable beyond the half dozen low-level sergeants and privates who have been convicted in criminal courts-martial since the abuse became public a year ago.
In citing him for dereliction of duty, authorities said Pappas failed to ensure that his interrogators were adequately trained and supervised in intelligence-gathering. He also did not obtain approval to carry out some nonsanctioned interrogation techniques, such as using military dogs to frighten prisoners into talking, according to Army officials.
Pappas, 46, who has been reassigned to duties in Europe, has never spoken publicly about the abuses at Abu Ghraib.
He is a career officer from New Jersey who joined the Army in 1981 after graduating from Rutgers University, eventually climbing the ranks in the intelligence-collection wing of the Army. After postings in South Korea, Europe and around the United States, his assignment to Iraq was one of the most significant draws of his career.