Baghdad: With barely 24 hours to go before the resumption of the trial of Saddam Hussein, court officials were still trying to convince the outgoing presiding judge to rescind his resignation.
While presiding judge Rizkar Mohammed Amin has said categorically that his resignation is final and unrevokable, the trial is likely to go ahead with a new presiding judge.
According to court sources on Monday, the court has appointed a new, previously unknown, presiding judge.
In all likelihood, Said al-Hammashi will replace Rizkar Mohammed Amin as the head of the five-judge panel hearing the case against the former dictator and seven co-accused charged with mass killings of residents from the town of Dujail. Amin had resigned over criticism that he was not firm enough with the accused.
"He will remain as presiding judge until such a time as an official decision is taken on whether to accept judge Rizkar's resignation," the court official said.
Meanwhile, a day ahead of the resumption of Saddam trial, Iraqi militants killed at least two people were killed and wounded five others when a suicide car bomber attacked a police patrol outside the Iranian embassy in Baghdad in what was seen a latest surge in violence in the war-torn country.
(With AFP inputs)
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