(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - Spokesperson for Iraq’s Supreme Judiciary Council Abdelsattar Bayraqdar said on Sunday that the hearing, previously due to be held on July 8, had been postponed until July 24.
The trial of Hashemi began on May 15.
Muayad al-Izzi, the head of Hashemi’s legal team, said on Sunday that the group presented a request to the judges on May 31 about “calling witnesses” such as President Jalal Talabani, former Vice President Adel Abdel Mahdi, Talabani’s office manager Nasser al-Ani and five members of parliament to testify.
“This request was rejected so we decided to present the request to the federal appeals court. The court demanded that the whole case be brought to them to review it, and to review our request.”
One of the judges, whose name was not mentioned in the report, said, “We are obliged, as a court, to listen to the appeals court’s ruling. They will examine it, and we will wait to see what they decide.”
Hashemi is accused of being involved in bomb attacks against the government and security officials over the past years, including a November 2011 car bombing in the capital Baghdad that apparently targeted Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. The fugitive vice president and his bodyguards also face accusations of killing six judges.
On December 19, 2011, an investigative committee within the Iraqi Interior Ministry issued an arrest warrant for Hashemi after three of his bodyguards confessed to having taken orders from him to carry out the terrorist attacks.
Hashemi fled to the Kurdistan Region after the arrest warrant was issued, and he was last known to be in Turkey.
On May 8, Interpol also issued an international Red Notice alert for the arrest of Hashemi “on suspicion of guiding and financing terrorist attacks.”
Bayraqdar also stated that another case against the fugitive vice president is due to begin on October 1, but he did not give further details.
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