Tuesday, April 25 2006 11:04 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Baghdad: A verdict in the trial of Saddam Hussein and seven former aides on charges of crimes against humanity is expected by early August, a US official said today (Apr 25, 2006) after prosecutors wrapped up their evidence against the defendants.

"I expect a verdict by the end of July or early August," the official, who is close to the court, said.

"I believe the defence will present its case now and the court will take a recess for about a month," ahead of the July or August verdict, the US official said.

Saddam and the seven other former regime officials are on trial for the killings of 148 Shiites in the village of Dujail in the early 1980s after an attempt on his life.

The trial resumed today and after a brief 90-minute session was adjourned to May 15 to give the defence time to present their witnesses.

The prosecution wrapped up its evidence after presenting a new report by handwriting experts that linked Saddam to the massacre of Shiite villagers in the 1980s.

The tribunal's chief investigative judge Raed al-Juhi said the prosecution had 'finished submitting evidence, though we cannot say that it has rested its case'.

"The process of prosecution will continue until a verdict is passed," Juhi told sources.

The latest report claimed that the signatures of all defendants were 'matching' except for that of Mizhar Abdallah Ruweid, a former Baath party official in the Dujail area.

Saddam and his seven co-accused pleaded not guilty to charges including murder and torture over the Dujail killings when the trial opened in October last year. If found guilty, they face the death penalty.