Raghad Saddam Hussein denies defending her father

Raghad Saddam Hussein, the elder daughter of the toppled Iraqi President Saddam Hussein settled the controversy on the side assigned to represent her father in his trial and she announced yesterday that Saddam Hussein's wife and daughter did not assign the French lawyer Jack Vergis, rather he was assigned by a committee of Arab and western lawyers chaired by the Jordanian lawyer Muhammad al-Rashdan.

Raghad who stays in Amman said that " Vergis does not represent the father because his way and policy in defending does not comply with us and the defendant committee we had formed." The French lawyer Jack Vergis who assumes defending the former Iraqi official Tareq Aziz announced on March 29 that "he was assigned by a relative to Saddam for defending him."

On the other hand, it was announced in Amman this month the formation of a defendant committee for the former Iraqi President according to an authorization from wife of Saddam Hussein and his three daughters and the chairmanship of al-Rashdan, including 20 lawyers including many Arabs, one American, one Swiss and one French but including not Vergis.

Raghad ( 34 year old) explained " we did not chose Vergis to represent our father. He was chosen by Ali Barazan, my cousin," stressing that her relative " has no right to chose a persons while we are there."