Former Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tareq Aziz, the public face of Saddam Hussein's rule, is set to face court on Tuesday over the execution of dozens of Merchants in 1992, Reuters reported. It will be the first time 72-year-old Aziz, who also served as foreign minister, has answered charges since he surrendered to U.S. forces in April 2003. The merchants were accused of hiking prices of key goods in breach of state price controls when Iraq was suffering U.N. sanctions imposed for its 1990 invasion of Kuwait. Aziz's lawyer has said the charges against his client are baseless. Seven other defendants in the case before the Iraqi High Tribunal included Saddam's half brothers Watban Ibrahim al-Hassan, interior minister when the executions took place, and Sabaawi Ibrahim al-Hassan, a former top security official, court spokesman Aref Shaheen said. A former trade minister and central bank governor will also face the tribunal.
