Posted on 10/05/2005 4:25:30 AM PDT by HAL9000
Saddam Hussein's family has no money to pay for his defence and his legal team is demanding that either the Iraqi court trying him or the media provide the funds.The former Iraqi dictator is to stand trial over a Shiite massacre in just two weeks.
His lawyer, Khalil Dulaimi, says that until now his team has been providing its services for free because Saddam's family "had no money to cover his expenses".
He says his team has failed to raise the money from "rich Arabs, including those who had amassed fortunes in doing business with Iraq."
Pointing his finger at the Special Tribunal that will be trying Saddam and seven former cohorts from October 19, Mr Dulaimi says it has spent at least $US500 million preparing its case.
He says his team has asked the court for funds to cover their costs, but has received no response.
Mr Dulaimi says he will make no further statements to the media until the tribunal "applies the law and covers the expenses of the lawyers" or until the media do.
Saddam and seven others are charged in connection with the massacre of 143 people in the Shiite village of Dujail in 1982 following an attempt on his life there.
Senior former officials to be tried with him are ex-vice president Taha Yassin Ramadan, Saddam's half-brother and former intelligence boss Barzan Ibrahim al-Hassan and a former deputy chief in Saddam's cabinet, Awad Ahmed al-Bandar.
The other four, Abdullah Khadem Ruweid, Mezhar Abdullah Ruweid, Ali Daeh and Mohammed Azzam al-Ali, are former ruling Baath Party officials responsible for the Dujail area.
Mr Dulaimi has been requesting a delay, claiming that the defence had not been informed about the trial date and had not given it full access to Saddam himself or full details of the charges against him.
The court, however, said it had told the defence in September of the trial would and that it had been provided with all the evidence obtained in the case.
No problem, Soros will come to his rescue
How many lawyers does he have? If they've been working pro bono, how could they have expenses of 500 milion dollars?
Sorry the article says the prosecution has spent the money not the defense. they didnt mention how much the defense has spent.
Thanks. I read too fast apparently. However, I still want to know how the prosecution has managed to spend so much.
The Court spent 500 million, but I doubt it is just for one case. They needed a completely new court system.... Saddam's style of non-conviction and torture program just does not lead to justice.
Thanks for that info. Now I understand.
You'd think that there'd be more than a few French lawyers who'd love to do it for free...
Is it the lack of brie in Iraq?
O.J. didn't spend a tenth that much on his defense.
I could defend Saddam for half that -and win. ;)
The Law of Nations is very clear on the issue of national leaders -Look at Napoleon, the British could only exile him, twice! Napoleon was responsible for far more death, destruction and massacres than Saddam Hussein.
The end of WWI (the First World War for those of you in Rio Linda) was blamed on Germany yet Kaiser Wilhelm was allowed to live out his days in Holland -No arrest, no trial after "The war to end all wars."
Emperor Hirohito retained his throne after the Second World War.
Why? A Sovereign is above the law -Why do you think Clinton (President) could only be impeached (removed from office) but not prosecuted?
Of course, the US is supposed to be a nation that believes in the Rule of Law. The Continental Congress used The Law of Nations (E. Vattel) to confirm its protests against British rule resulting in the Declaration of Independence and ultimately the Constitution.
In accordance with the Law of Nations, once the US toppled the Iraqi government, the US assumed all of it debts, including the reparations owed to Kuwait, Iran, Israel and pretty much anyone else.
Bush is not the green, scripted, idiot that the liberal media hopes he'd be -He's honest, moral and unfortunately, listens to the wrong people. The US still has troops in places that Clinton sent them -Haiti, the Balkans and several other wag-the-dog missions.
As an Army (US) combat veteran, I don't trust the brasshats in the Pentagon any more than I trust Jesse Jackson -both are bloodsucking parasites out for my money in order to live the good life.
I could defend Milosevic too -The difference is that his own people sold him to the Hague. They have no jurisdiction.
T
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