Another Trial

The fourth trial of figures from Saddam Hussein's regime will begin next week, when former deputy prime minister Tariq Aziz and six others face charges relating to the execution of 42 merchants in 1992.

Aziz will stand trial with, amongst others, Saddam's half brother Watban Ibrahim al-Hassan and former Central Bank chief Issam Mula Hawish.

The trial is scheduled to start Tuesday, and deals with the execution of 42 merchants accused by Saddam's government of being behind a sharp increase in food prices when the country was under sanctions.

Windfall

The Iraqi government has won a ruling to recover money from Saddam Hussein's Swiss bank account.

Switzerland's Federal Supreme Court has ordered the freezing of US$300M, which was deposited into a Swiss bank account by Khalaf al-Dlimi, Saddam's personal lawyer.

Switzerland will transfer the frozen money, which is legally the property of Iraq, to the Development Fund of Iraq by June 13th.

Dlimi has the right to file an objection to the court ruling with the sanctions commission of the UN Security Council.

Let us hope that the money is used wisely by the government.

Chemical Ali Hospitalised

Ali Hassan al-Majid, aka Chemical Ali, has been admitted to hospital after a three day hunger strike.

Majid is on death row, having been sentenced to death for genocide last June.

His execution, along with those of former defence minister Sultan Hashim al-Tai and former armed forces deputy chief of operations Hussein Rashid al-Tikritis, has been delayed by legal wranglings.