Vic: Kovco body bungle investigators to arrive in Kuwait tonight

AAP General News (Australia)
04-30-2006
Vic: Kovco body bungle investigators to arrive in Kuwait tonight

By Jane Bunce and Xavier La Canna

MELBOURNE, April 30 AAP - Senior army officers and medical specialists will arrive
in Kuwait overnight to investigate the bungled return of Private Jake Kovco's body.

Pte Kovco, the first Australian soldier killed in Iraq, will be farewelled with full
military honours at a service at his home town of Briagolong in south-east Victoria.

His body arrived in Australia yesterday, welcomed by his family and 300 of his paratrooper
colleagues wearing black armbands on the tarmac of Sydney Airport.

Pte Kovco, 25, died in Baghdad when his military issue Browning 9mm pistol accidentally
discharged on April 21, but the circumstances surrounding his death have been the subject
of speculation and claims of a cover-up.

Compounding the tragedy, Pte Kovco's remains were mistakenly left behind in Kuwait
while the body of a Bosnian civilian contractor was flown to Melbourne on Thursday in
his place.

The federal government has already blamed the private company in charge of bringing
deceased Australian soldiers home, but is holding an investigation into the casket mix-up.

Senior army officer Brigadier Liz Cosson and a medical specialist, Professor Donald
Sheldon, left Australia for Kuwait today and were expected to arrive late tonight or early
tomorrow, a defence spokesman said.

Defence Minister Brendan Nelson has announced a full military inquiry into the shooting
and repatriation bungle, headed by Group Captain Warren Cook, will begin "as soon as practicable"

and could last up to six months.

In the meantime, NSW coroner John Abernethy will hold a coronial investigation into the incident.

A post-mortem examination is expected to be carried out tomorrow, and Pte Kovco's remains
will then be flown to Briagolong for his funeral.

Wellington Shire Mayor Malcolm Hole said today he expected a large number of mourners
at the funeral, to be held at the Briagolong Mechanics' Institute.

"I would expect it will be a well-attended funeral," Mr Hole said.

"The crowd that turned up on Anzac Day showed the family has enormous support."

Councillor Peter Cleary, from Briagolong, said many of the town's 500 residents would
attend the service.

"Obviously, a lot of people are upset," Mr Cleary said.

Dr Nelson will attend the service, but a spokesman for Prime Minister John Howard was
unable to say immediately whether the PM would go.

Others expected to attend include Defence chief Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston, army
head Lieutenant-General Peter Leahy and officers from Pte Kovco's regiment.

Funeral directors Col and Pal Semmens said the service was planned for Tuesday, but
could be delayed until later in the week if Mr Abernethy needed the body for his investigation
into the manner of Pte Kovco's death.

Meanwhile, Federal Treasurer Peter Costello said today the bungle should not lead to
a change in broad government policy.

"You've got to make the best arrangements as you can," Mr Costello told the Ten Network today.

"You're coming out of a country where there are big security risks, you've got staging
points in the Middle East, you've got to make the best arrangements and the quickest arrangements."

"I don't think you should broaden out from this to any general principle of government
administration except to say that the government should do everything that it can to ensure
these errors do not occur again."

Pte Kovco is survived by his widow Shelley Kovco and their two children, four-year-old
Tyrie and 11-month-old Alana.

AAP jb/gfr/wjf/sd

KEYWORD: KOVCO NIGHTLEAD

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