Iraq court hands Sunni VP 2nd death sentence

BAGHDAD (AP) ? An Iraqi court has convicted the country's Sunni vice president on charges of instigating bodyguards to assassinate a senior government official and sentenced him to death.

Thursday's verdict was the second death sentence for Tariq al-Hashemi in less than two months, both delivered in absentia since he is in exile in Turkey. Al-Hashemi fled Iraq in December 2011, when the Shiite led-government accused him of playing a role in numerous attacks

He has denied the charges.

The criminal court in Baghdad also sentenced al-Hashemi's son-in-law to death on the same charges.

Supreme Judicial Council spokesman Abdul-Sattar Bayrkdar says the two suspects instigated bodyguards to kill an official by sticking a bomb to his car.

Al-Hashemi's attorney Muayad Obeid al-Ezzi says he was not informed about the hearing or verdict.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-11-01-Iraq/id-172b7f87de1c4ad2930c73eb22ad5de3

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