Topeka ? An investigation into alleged wrongdoing at the Kansas National Guard found no reason for the state to file charges, according to findings released Tuesday.

However, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation will forward results of its inquiry into an alleged backdating of promotions by one guard officer to the U.S. Attorney’s office.

Atty. Gen. Phill Kline said the KBI looked into matters for the past year related to the backdating of promotions, as well as alleged wiretapping and so-called “ghost soldiers” being retained on rosters that overstated actual unit strength.

The allegations surfaced during the tenure of Maj. Gen. Greg Gardner, adjutant general from 1999 through 2003, who retired in October after nearly 30 years in the military. The inquiry was sought last year by House Speaker Doug Mays, R-Topeka.

“We finally put this issue behind us. I am extremely pleased with the current leadership of the National Guard,” Mays told WIBW radio.

Maj. Gen. Tod Bunting, who became adjutant general in December, said the KBI report was consistent with internal National Guard investigations.

“We were confident that the investigation would find that we had followed established procedures and had done nothing wrong,” Bunting said.

The backdating issue involved Col. Joe Rose, former head of the Kansas National Guard’s human resources office. He was fired in May 2003, after an internal investigation showed he had improperly backdated a promotion for himself. Rose was ordered to pay back about $5,000.

An internal audit, conducted by the U.S. Property and Finance Office, reviewed activities from 1996 through 2003 and concluded that all discharges and payments were appropriate.

The issue of inflated strength reports was the subject of an April 2002 investigation by a U.S. House Armed Services subcommittee. The report found that strength accounting had steadily improved within the Army National Guard in recent years and that widespread inflation of unit strengths by unit commanders wasn’t evident.

Further, the KBI found no evidence of criminal intent to violate Kansas law related to wiretapping, noting that all staff were aware that their conversations were recorded according to government regulations.