WASHINGTON - The US Justice Departments inquiry into CIA interrogation techniques will resurrect dormant abuse claims against CIA contractors, a major American newspaper reported Friday, citing department officials. Civilian contractors used by the agency at secret overseas facilities were accused of detainee abuses and deaths in the years after the US-led invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, but only one case was brought to trial. Justice Department officials said the review of the dormant cases is a central part of a preliminary review by federal prosecutor John Durham, the Los Angeles Times reported Thursday. Durham was appointed this week by US Attorney General Eric Holder, a move prompting criticism from both sides of the political aisle. Conservatives said they feared Durhams appointment could lead to a witch hunt targeting well-meaning intelligence officers, while liberals said they want the prosecutor to investigate the architects of the George W Bush administrations so-called enhanced interrogation programme, the newspaper said. Indications are that the scope of Durhams inquiry may be limited to about a dozen cases, most of which already have been subjected to several reviews, with the possibility of expanding his scope later, especially if he recommends a full-blown criminal investigation after the preliminary review, the Times said. If a criminal investigation is sought, officials said Durham could inquire into whether CIA supervisors and officials at CIA headquarters knew about or authorised the use of interrogation tactics not approved in Justice Department legal memos.