Judges deny that Saddam's chief judge will resign

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Three judges presiding over Saddam Hussein's trial denied on Saturday reports claiming that the chief judge, Rizgar Mohammed Amin, intended to step down following Saddam's next hearing A recent news report citing an anonymous source close to Amin said he would hear one more session of the trial and then resign. The judge on the committee studying the Anfal Offensive, for which Saddam is being tried, told AP that Amin wasn't likely to serve for that trial because a five-judge panel has already been selected and is studying the case. The Saddam trial, which began in October, will resume January 24. Amin is a Kurd who, before the Saddam trial, was virtually unknown outside his home region. He heads the panel of five judges who are hearing the Saddam case and will render a verdict in the trial.