Saddam Hussein's Lawyers Say American Advisers Influenced Trial, Pressured Defence - Sputnik

The defence team of executed Iraqi President Saddam Hussein told Sputnik that American advisers took an active part in the trial, instructed the judges on which decisions to make, and pressured the lawyers.

"Yes, I think there were American advisers in a room next to the judge and there was a door between them. I believe a lot has not been made public. In the sense that the judge received instructions from those advisers. They told him what to look for and what to reconsider. It seemed that he was receiving orders, as sometimes he came back and retracted earlier decisions. There were advisers who tried to lure us to join them... But we refused", Muhammad Munib, one of Hussein's lawyers, said.

At the start of the trial, the defence lawyers were not aware of the US' direct involvement until an American lawyer tipped them off, wanting to help, Munib noted. When the fact became known, the defence tried to raise the issue in court, but the other side denied everything, he said.