Judges have cancelled plans to hold a hearing on Monday in the case of Saddam Hussein's trial on charges that he ordered the killing of 148 Shiite villagers, the chief prosecutor said.
Instead, the judge at an Iraqi High Tribunal will briefly declare when he plans to issue a verdict in the Dujail case. "The trial of Dujail will not continue tomorrow," chief prosecutor Jaafar al-Mussawi told AFP. "The judge will just come to specify the date for the verdict."
Prosecution lawyers wrapped up the evidence against Saddam and five co-defendants charged with crimes against humanity in July, and Iraq now awaits a verdict which was initially expected to be announced on October 16. The accused face the death penalty if convicted.
In the Jordanian capital Amman, Saddam's chief defense lawyer Khalil al-Dulaimi told AFP Saddam "is in good health and spirits. His morale is high and is full of self-confidence."
