New Guantanamo chief judge warns of change with Obama

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Source: miami herald

GUANTANAMO BAY NAVY BASE, Cuba — An Army colonel who presided over the courts martial of several guards in the Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal is the new chief judge for military commissions, the Pentagon announced Monday.

Army Col. James Pohl replaced Marine Col. Ralph Kohlmann, who is retiring from service early next year.

Kohlmann had recently stepped down as trial judge in the Sept. 11 death penalty mass murder case of confessed al Qaeda kingpin Khalid Sheik Mohammed and four alleged co-conspirators. He assigned another Army judge, Col. Stephen Henley, to replace him in that case.

Monday, Pohl presided at a pre-trial hearing in the case of an accused al Qaeda conspirator from Saudi Arabia, Ahmed Darbi, 33, and made no mention of his new assignment.

He did, however, remark that change could come to the war court following the Jan. 20 inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama, who has pledged to close the Guantánamo prison camps.

''This court is aware that on Jan. 20 there will be a new commander-in-chief, which may or may not impact on these proceedings,'' he said, warning everyone to stay focused "unless and until a competent authority tells us not to.''

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