Iraqi judiciary has charged fugitive Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi and some of his associates with killing six judges ahead of their trial.
A judicial spokesman said on Monday Hashemi and his bodyguards will face terrorism charges, including the killing of six judges, during their trial that is to open on Thursday.
“There are many crimes of which Hashemi and his bodyguards are accused and confessions were obtained on them, including the assassination of six judges, mostly from Baghdad,” Higher Judicial Council spokesman Abdelsattar Bayraqdar said in a statement.
Bayraqdar also put the number of charges announced against Hashemi and his bodyguards so far at about 150, adding that the figure could increase. However, it was not clear how many Hashemi in particular faces.
According to the spokesman the Thursday court would tackle the “assassination of the general director in the national security ministry, an officer in the interior ministry and a lawyer.”
He also said that 13 of Hashemi’s guards had been released due to lack of evidences against them while 73 of them are still in custody.
Hashemi, who is accused of running a death squad, however, is not expected to attend the trial. He is currently in Turkey.
Hashemi has been accused of involvement in bomb attacks against government and security officials over the past years and on December 19, 2011, an investigative committee within the Iraqi Interior Ministry issued an arrest warrant for Hashemi after three of his bodyguards confessed to taking orders from him to carry out the terrorist attacks.
Hashemi had been holed up in Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region since terrorist charges were brought against him.
Hashemi has denied the charges against him, demanding a trial in Kurdistan region, which has no jurisdiction over the regions where Hashemi has allegedly committed his terrorist acts. Iraq’s judiciary has rejected his request.
——Agencies