Columbia ? The commander of Colombia’s army resigned abruptly Tuesday in a widening scandal over the killing of scores of civilians, allegedly spurred by promotion-seeking officers to inflate rebel body counts.

Gen. Mario Montoya, who won wide acclaim for the bloodless hostage rescue of Ingrid Betancourt and three U.S. military contractors on July 2, did not mention the scandal as a factor in his retirement after 39 years of service.

He did, however, ask his countrymen not prejudge soldiers who have been implicated in the scandal, to afford them “the right to defend themselves.”

President Alvaro Uribe called Montoya “one of the best generals the republic has had” and swiftly named a replacement: Gen. Oscar Gonzalez, who currently heads the armed forces’ joint Caribbean command.

Montoya’s resignation follows stinging criticism of an army policy he allegedly encouraged of promoting officers whose units kill the most leftist rebels.