Guantanamo courts chief to testify about role in pace of hearings
A military commander overseeing tribunals for al Qaeda suspects at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, will testify on Wednesday about allegations he tried to use his influence to rush the proceedings forward.
The allegations arose on Monday during a pretrial hearing for Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, a Saudi charged with orchestrating the 2000 suicide bombing of the USS Cole in Yemen. The attack killed 17 sailors.
Defense attorneys accused the prosecution of exercising "unlawful influence" to bring their client's case to a conclusion more rapidly, potentially sacrificing justice.
Judge Air Force Colonel Vance Spath responded by ordering the top Pentagon official overseeing the war court, retired Marine Corps Major General Vaughn Ary, to testify about a prosecution memo citing high costs associated with the slow pace of proceedings at Guantanamo Bay.
