Operation Cestro refers to a specific Royal Military Police investigation into allegations that four Afghan Nationals were killed during a Deliberate Detention Operation in Afghanistan.
This phase of evidence will seek to address the events surrounding a meeting that took place in February 2014 between the Royal Military Police and UKSF and the subsequent investigation into allegations of obstruction of justice, not the investigation in its entirety. The evidence will seek to address the following issues:
- Whether there were any agreed conditions, whether formal or informal, in relation to the meeting that took place between the Royal Military and UKSF.
- Whether there was any agreement or understanding in advance of the meeting that the Royal Military Police were not permitted to speak to Soldier J at the meeting.
- Who terminated the meeting and why.
- Whether the meeting was terminated with the intention of obstructing the Royal Military Police’s investigation into the Operation of 18th October 2012, or if there was another reason.
- What happened in the immediate aftermath of the meeting and its abrupt termination
Further evidence relating to Operation Cestro and/or the Objective may be called at a later date.
These hearings were held in CLOSED.
The Inquiry has published Directions by the Chair in respect of Soldier C who declined to answer substantive questions by Counsel on the grounds of his privilege against self-incrimination. Core Participants were invited to provide written submissions by 1600 on Friday 28 March 2025.
Directions
DIRECTIONS MADE UPON THE CONCLUSION OF THE ‘POTENTIAL OBSTRUCTION OF OPERATION CESTRO’ HEARINGS