Lt. Col. Steven L. Jordan exhibited "negligence" and "a willful, wanton turning away from the abuses that occurred," prosecutor Lt. Col. John P. Tracy said during opening statements at Jordan's Article 32 hearing, the military equivalent of a grand jury proceeding.

Tracy said Jordan, as director of Abu Ghraib's interrogation center, did not personally commit egregious acts but that his negligence created an atmosphere conducive to mistreatment of prisoners.

Jordan, of the Intelligence and Security Command at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, was second-in-charge of interrogations at Abu Ghraib in late 2003, when detainees were physically abused, threatened with dogs and sexually humiliated. Eleven other soldiers have been convicted of crimes in the scandal.

Defense attorney Maj. Kris Poppe countered that Jordan, a reserve military intelligence officer specializing in civil affairs, did his best to protect soldiers after being thrust into an unfamiliar role as part of a confusing, ad hoc command structure. Poppe said most of the abuses at Abu Ghraib were committed by rogue military police soldiers who were not under Jordan's command.

"In the end, we believe the story will show to you that Col. Jordan did not commit criminal misconduct," Poppe told hearing officer Col. Daniel Cummings. "In the end, he did not commit a crime and he should not be subjected to a general court martial."

After the hearing, which is expected to last several days, Cummings will make a recommendation to Gen. Guy C. Swann, commander of the Military District of Washington, on whether Jordan should be court-martialed.

Jordan worked under Col. Thomas J. Pappas, who was not charged with crimes but was fined $8,000 (euro6,400) and reprimanded for once approving the use of dogs during an interrogation without higher approval.

Jordan, 50, of Fredericksburg, Virginia, was put in charge in September 2003 of the Joint Interrogation Debriefing Center, where interrogations of Abu Ghraib prisoners believed to be of high value were planned, conducted and reviewed. The center was created as part of a hasty reorganization aimed at extracting more and better intelligence about the growing insurgency.

Maj. Gen. George Fay, who later investigated the Abu Ghraib abuses, testified as the first prosecution witness that prison workers perceived Jordan as having been directly in charge of interrogations, even though Jordan described himself to Fay as a liaison between the center and superior officers.

"Col. Jordan was in charge, in my opinion, even though he denied he was in charge," Fay said.

Fay said that when he asked Jordan if he had seen prisoners stripped naked at Abu Ghraib, Jordan told him he had, but that the nudity had nothing to do with interrogations. Jordan replied that "it all had to do with the lack of clothing at the time," Fay said in response to a question from the hearing officer.

Under cross-examination, Fay acknowledged that the Pentagon's rules allowing harsh interrogation techniques went through several changes in late 2003, causing confusion at Abu Ghraib.

"It was a confusing situation," he said.

Jordan is charged with 12 offenses, including one count of cruelty and maltreatment for allegedly subjecting detainees to forced nudity and intimidation by dogs. He faces a maximum of 42 years in prison if convicted of all counts.

In addition, Jordan is charged with three counts of dereliction of duty for allegedly failing to properly supervise soldiers and for allegedly approving the use of dogs and other harsh interrogation techniques twice without obtaining permission from the senior U.S. commander in Iraq at the time, Lt. Gen. Ricardo S. Sanchez.

Jordan is charged with two counts of making false official statements for allegedly lying to Fay and Maj. Gen. Antonio M. Taguba, who conducted a separate investigation of detainee abuses.

Jordan is charged with two counts of willfully disobeying Fay's and Taguba's orders not to communicate with other soldiers and potential witnesses about the investigations, and two counts of false swearing for comments he allegedly made to others regarding the probes and conditions at Abu Ghraib.

Jordan also is charged with two counts of fraud for allegedly overbilling the government a total of $571 (euro456) for repairs to two vehicles in Iraq in 2004.

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