This from about the same time:
Uproar over 'war crimes' trials
Neil Tweedie, Daily Telegraph
21/07/2005
Lord Goldsmith, the Attorney General, denied last night that he was making a political scapegoat of a senior Army officer accused of failing to prevent abuses of Iraqi prisoners by his men.
Friends and colleagues of Col Jorge Mendonca expressed their dismay that he should have to face a court martial for acts allegedly perpetrated by junior ranks in his unit, 1 Bn Queen's Lancashire Regiment. A conviction for negligence would ruin the career of the 41-year-old officer, who was awarded the DSO for service in Iraq.
In a rare move, Lord Goldsmith issued a statement denying any political motive in the prosecution, which is seen by some as an attempt to placate Iraqi and Muslim opinion.