THE former Iraqi dictator, Saddam Hussein, will be condemned from beyond the grave when he goes back on trial tomorrow over his role in the massacre 23 years ago of 143 people.

Wadah al-Sheikh, a former intelligence officer and key witness in the case against Saddam and Barzan al-Tikriti, his half-brother, succumbed to cancer on October 27. Four days before he died, however, he gave videotaped testimony which, according to the prosecution, provides chilling insights into a purge after an abortive attempt to assassinate Saddam during a visit to the town of Dujail.

“The witness had a main role with Barzan al-Tikriti in transporting the victims from Dujail to Abu Ghraib and al-Hakimiyah prisons,” said Jaafar al-Musawi, chief prosecutor in the case. “He was also directly involved in carrying out some of the sentences against them.”

Al-Sheikh insisted that he wrote a full report on all the actions taken against the victims of Dujail, Musawi said. It was sent to Saddam through Hussein Kamel, his son-in-law and right-hand man at the time. Kamel later fell out with Saddam and was murdered.

For many of the victims of Dujail, the first stage of their descent into hell was at al- Hakimiyah prison, which was run by al-Sheikh on behalf of the Mukhabarat secret police. Most were executed but 46 are said to have died under torture.

The prosecution considered bringing charges against al-Sheikh for his involvement but decided to call him as a witness instead.

It has put up 35 witnesses in all to testify in the Dujail case against Saddam and seven co-defendants charged with crimes against humanity. The defence will present 60.

Some prosecution witnesses have faced death threats from supporters of Saddam and a menacing leaflet has been distributed in Dujail.

“Anyone who testifies in the court against the leader Saddam Hussein and his colleagues will receive something from us that will not please him and that goes to that person’s brothers, sons, daughters, cousins and entire tribe,” it read.

Musawi said he was aware of the threats but remained confident that the main witnesses would appear. “I personally contacted the prime minister and the minister of the interior and asked them to send extra security for the residents of Dujail, but unfortunately they showed little interest in our request,” he said. Security was in place to transport the witnesses safely between the court and their homes.

The threats appear to have had some effect. Three residents of Dujail who had been expected to give evidence against two of Saddam’s co- defendants — Abdullah Kadhem Roweed and his son Mizher — said last week that they were no longer prepared to do so.

Kadhem and his son are accused of helping Tikriti to identify those seized in the purge. The family deny the accusation and claim they suffered at the hands of the regime.

The witnesses are not the only ones at risk: the murder last month of two lawyers representing Saddam’s co-defendants prompted a threat by the defence to boycott proceedings. They appear to have changed their minds after the court said that it would appoint other lawyers if they failed to turn up.

Musawi said that the first batch of 10 witnesses — nine men and a woman — would appear in court tomorrow. Three have refused to be identifed and will give evidence from behind a screen.

Musawi said that he expected the case to last three to four months. If found guilty Saddam faces the death penalty. But Musawi said that a swift execution appeared unlikely as he wanted Saddam to stand trial in 11 other cases, the last of which relates to the suppression of a 1991 uprising by Shi’ites in southern Iraq.

The defence team’s strategy will be to delay the trials, arguing that they have not had enough time, access to witnesses or details of the prosecution case to prepare a defence.

The trial, which opened briefly last month amid chaotic scenes, is expected to get under way in earnest amid growing signs that America is laying the groundwork for a significant withdrawal of US troops from Iraq next year.

President George W Bush is due to give a speech on Wednesday when he will praise the improved readiness of Iraqi troops to take their place.

There were reports yesterday that some insurgents had told an aide to President Jalal Talabani that they were interested in joining the American-backed political process.

In the meantime the violence has continued: 12 people died when a suicide bomber drove his pick-up truck into a crowded petrol station in Samarra, 60 miles north of Baghdad, and four were killed by a car bomb in the capital.

• A uniform belonging to Saddam and apparently seized by American forces at Baghdad airport in 2003 has been put up for sale online by a US auction house. It is expected to fetch more than £10,000.

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