Saddam will face more charges if found not guilty

As Saddam Hussein's trial resumed after a gap of five weeks, sources close to United States President George W Bush have said 'there will be more charges' if the former ruler is found not guilty by the Iraqi court, a report claimed on Monday.

Senior Bush administration officials are said to be pondering over the 'unthinkable' - what to do if Saddam is ultimately found not guilty, according to the internet news portal, Drudge Report.

"There will be more charges filed against him and more charges after that, if needed. He has committed tremendous crimes," columnist Matt Drudge, famous for breaking the news on the Monica Lewinsky-Bill Clinton affair, wrote in the report quoting a 'top Bush source'.

Hussein and seven others are facing charges of crimes against humanity for the 1982 massacre of Shiite villagers. The prosecution is hoping to get a conviction based, among other things, on a videotape that has Hussein issuing the assassination orders.

The Bush administration has not officially commented on what would be the recourse, should Hussein be found not guilty, but there is no doubt it is watching the goings-on in the trial with more than ordinary interest.

During the trial in Baghdad on Monday, former US Attorney General Ramsey Clark and former Qatari Justice Minister Najib al-Nueimi were seated with the defence team inside the heavily guarded court room, along with Saddam's chief lawyer Khalil Dulaimi.