[JURIST] US Army Lt. Col. Steven L. Jordan [CBS profile; JURIST news archive], whose conviction relating to the Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal [JURIST news archive] was thrown out [JURIST report] earlier this week, told AP Thursday that the investigation into the scandal did not adequately scrutinize those involved. Jordan was the only commissioned officer charged in connection with the scandal; 11 other enlisted soldiers were convicted. Jordan had been acquitted of all charges directly relating to abuse and only convicted of one charge of disobeying an order [JURIST report] not to talk about the investigation. Earlier this week, Jordan was notified that the convening authority in his case decided to disapprove the conviction, effectively throwing it out. Jordan implied that the investigation should have probed deeper to establish a connection between the abuse at Abu Ghraib and alleged abuse at military prisons in Afghanistan and at the US detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. AP has more.

Prosecutors initially charged [JURIST report] Jordan with seven violations of the Uniform Code of Military Justice [text] but dropped two charges [JURIST report] after new evidence came to light that Jordan provided statements to an official investigating the Iraqi prison abuse allegations without being properly read his rights, making his statements inadmissible. In his 2004 report [PDF text; JURIST report], Maj. Gen. George R. Fay recommended that Jordan and his superior Col. Thomas Pappas be punished for their roles in the abuse scandal. Pappas was granted immunity in exchange for his testimony against Jordan. Pappas testified during Jordan's Article 32 hearing [JURIST report] that Jordan was concerned that he did not have the proper training or experience to assume his role running the Joint Interrogation and Debriefing Center [GlobalSecurity backgrounder] at Abu Ghraib.