An Iraqi court has condemned to death in absentia a Sunni Arab former minister for his role in the murder of a fellow Sunni politician's two sons, the court's spokesman told AFP on Saturday.Abdul Sattar al-Byrakdar said the Central Criminal Court of Iraq had on Wednesday handed down the verdict against Assad Kamal al-Hashemi, former Iraqi minister for culture, for assassinating Mithal Alusi's sons in 2005.
Hashemi, a lawmaker with the main Sunni bloc the National Concord Front was tried in abstentia. His whereabouts have been unknown since he fled Baghdad in June last year. "We don't know where he is," Byrakdar said.
Alusi's sons were ambushed by gunmen in western Baghdad in February 2005. Two gunmen were later detained and reportedly confessed to receiving orders from Hashemi.
Alusi, although a Sunni, was formerly a member of U.S. Pentagon favorite Ahmed Chalabi's Shiite political party but was expelled after he visited Israel. He later formed his own party which holds one seat in the 275-member Iraqi parliament.