Another former Afghan interpreter has been refused compensation over a simple paperwork error, without the opportunity to correct it.
Mr Jamal Barak served five years with our military, including front line service as a teenager. He was shot twice by the Taliban while working with the British Army. The MoD eventually introduced a compensation scheme for such cases, but he made the mistake of submitting a bank statement as proof of address instead of a utility bill.
As with another interpreter whose case was previously reported by The Times, instead of simply asking for the correct paperwork MoD officials appear to have issued Jamal Barak with a final non-appealable rejection when it was too late to submit a fresh application.
He told The Times that:
"After eight years of waiting, multiple medical assessments, GP letters and supporting documents, it is devastating to see my case dismissed over a proof-of-address document.
“I was shot twice and suffered very serious gunshot injuries to my chest and right arm while serving alongside the British forces. Despite the sacrifices I made and the life-changing injuries I suffered, unfortunately, I have not received a single penny in compensation. It is extremely painful to feel that, after everything we went through and the risks we took, we are still being treated this way.”
The Times says that Ministers have since ordered officials to review Hottak’s case and that of others and apply a “more reasonable and common sense approach”. We hope so.
Barak will reportedly be told this week his case is being reviewed,
Times story by Larisa Broww, Defence Editor: Another Afghan interpreter denied compensation over paperwork error
BAFF: Computer says no: When proof of address outweighs proof of sacrifice
BAFF: Ministers intervene in the case of former Afghan interpreter refused compensation