The so called justice dep't wanted to make a big Washington, DC show trial of those Blackwater guards who were involved in a Baghdad shooting that left 17 Iraqis dead. They promised the guards immunity, got their statements and then prosecuted them. Now the judge has dismissed the charges and slapped the prosecutors pretty hard.
Wonder what will happen to the guy who agreed to testify against his buds for a lesser sentence?
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091231/ap_on_go_ot/us_blackwater_prosecution
Quote:
WASHINGTON – A federal judge dismissed all charges Thursday against five Blackwater Worldwide security guards accused of killing unarmed Iraqi civilians in a crowded Baghdad intersection in 2007.
U.S. District Judge Ricardo Urbina said Justice Department prosecutors improperly built their case on sworn statements that had been given under a promise of immunity. Urbina said the government's explanations were "contradictory, unbelievable and lacking in credibility."
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Investigators promised the men that their statements were to be used only for the internal inquiry and would not be used in a criminal case. Such limited immunity deals are common in police departments so officers involved in shootings cannot hold up internal investigations by refusing to cooperate.
The deal meant that prosecutors had to build their case without using those statements. Urbina said the Justice Department failed to do so. Prosecutors read those statements, reviewed them in the investigation and used them to get search warrants, Urbina said.
The five guards had been charged with manslaughter and weapons charges. The charges carried mandatory 30-year prison terms.
It was unclear what the ruling means for a sixth Blackwater guard, Jeremy Ridgeway, who turned on his former colleagues and pleaded guilty to killing one Iraqi and wounding another.
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Charges Against Blackwater Guards Dismissed
