Tariq Aziz, ex-regime members back in Iraqi court after leaving US custody, says official

Tariq Aziz back in Iraqi court, says official

BAGHDAD — Former Iraqi Foreign Minister Tariq Aziz and several other members of Saddam Hussein’s regime appeared in court Sunday just days after their handover from the U.S. to Iraqi custody, an Iraqi official said.

Deputy Justice Minister Busho Ibrahim said Aziz and the other members of the deposed regime were summoned to appear in front of the court dealing with crimes from the Saddam era.

The court charged Aziz with squandering the public wealth and will face a new trial, his lawyer Badee Izzat Aref said.

Aziz, who was the international face of Saddam’s regime for several years, has twice before been convicted by the Iraqi High Tribunal and has received prison sentences of 15 years and 7 years in prison.

The U.S. had turned over 55 former regime figures over the last year, including Aziz earlier this week, according to Iraqi officials.