Friday, December 23 2005 09:53 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Baghdad: An investigative judge said yesterday (Dec 22, 2005) that officials never saw evidence that Saddam Hussein was beaten in US custody, contradicting the ousted Iraqi leader's claims that he was abused and 'the marks are still there'.

US officials strongly denied Saddam's allegations as 'completely unfounded'. Saddam, in turn, denounced those denials as 'lies'.

In a theatrical exchange becoming increasingly common at the trial, an assistant prosecutor asked to resign and the defence team threatened to walk out. Saddam also mocked President Bush's claims that Iraq had chemical weapons.

When the court gave the former leader an opportunity to cross-examine witnesses, Saddam instead used the time to expand on earlier assertions he had been abused in custody. He claimed that the wounds he suffered from the alleged beatings had been documented by at least two American teams.

A total of five witnesses testified yesterday and today about the alleged torture and killings after an assassination attempt against Saddam in the town of Dujail in 1982. The presiding judge then adjourned the case until January 24.

Saddam yesterday told the court he'd been beaten 'everywhere' on his body, insisting, "the marks are still there." He did not display any marks and did not elaborate on the alleged beatings except to say some wounds took eight months to heal.

Today, Saddam said American denials that he was beaten could not be believed, noting that no weapons of mass destruction had been found in Iraq despite Bush's pre-war claims that Saddam was harbouring such weapons.