Ali Hassan al-Majid, better known as "Chemical Ali", has appeared before an investigating magistrate Saturday, kicking off the process of trying Iraq's former top officials.

Sultan Hashim, defense minister of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, also attended the hearing with the presence of lawyers, said Rayed Juhi, chief investigating judge for the Iraqi Special Tribunal.

Videos showed the two, handcuffed but looking healthy, were interrogated by Juhi separately in a big room. Majid, a cousin of Saddam and known for his alleged massacre of Kurds in 1980s, stood with a walking stick.

Majid is charged with gassing Kurds in the town of Halabja in 1988, the 1990 invasion of Kuwait and other alleged crimes. Hashem, who surrendered in September 2003, is also accused of involvement in the Halabja massacre.

"We are in the process of gathering evidence and hearing testimony on the different crimes committed by the accused between 1968 and 2003," Juhi said.

The investigative hearings were the first step toward the trial of members of Saddam's regime, although the legal process was still in its preliminary stage, according to Juhi.

Earlier this week, Iraqi interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi pledged the trial of Saddam's eight top officials would begin within a month, but Saddam himself would be dealt with after the elections due on Jan. 30.

Saddam's lawyer, who was only allowed to meet his client this week, said the preparations were not enough to ensure a credible trial.

Legal advisors feared the lack of legitimacy of the court and controversial charges would trigger more disputes among Iraqis and international institutions.

The Iraqi Special Tribunal was set up by the then US supervisor of Iraq Paul Bremer to try former Iraqi leaders following the Iraq War, which the United States launched without UN authorization.

Seven charges, including invading Kuwait and killing Shiite rebels, were read by Juhi to Saddam, who appeared in court with another 10 officials for the first time in July.

The investigative judges need time to arrange more hearings and collect evidence for possible charges against the key members of the toppled Saddam regime before the accused are brought to a criminal court.

As the prosecution against the Saddam regime began, insurgents renewed attacks across north Iraq, raising concerns over the success of the upcoming elections.

Militants fired mortar rounds Saturday at a voter registration center in Dujail, north of Baghdad, killing one civilian and wounding eight others. The night earlier, gunmen attacked another election center in the north, causing no casualties.

In the northern town of Beiji, gunmen killed two men, apparently Iraqis, in execution-style slayings, police said

Saturday. One victim was found with his hands tied behind his back.

Also near Beiji, a roadside bomb explosion wounded four American contractors employed by Florida-Based Cochise Security Inc. to dispose of the Saddam-era munitions in the area. Two of the wounded were hospitalized.

Profile: Chemical Ali, Saddam's aide notorious for chemical attacks

BAGHDAD, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- Ali Hassan al-Majid, better known as "Chemical Ali," appeared on Saturday before an investigating magistrate, kicking off the process of trials of Iraq's former top officials.

Majid, a cousin of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, who had once reportedly been killed in the US bombardment on the southern Iraqi city of Basra, was captured by US forces on Aug. 21 last year.

He was No. 5 on the US wanted list of 55 former Iraqi officials.

In July, Majid was brought to the court known as the Iraqi Special War Crimes Tribunal near Baghdad to face criminal charges.

The arraigned also included Saddam and former Deputy Prime Minister Tareq Aziz.

Believed to be in his early 60s, Majid was one of Saddam's close relatives. He had served as defense minister, presidential adviser, and a member of Iraq's Revolutionary Command Council, the supreme decision-making organ under Saddam.

Majid was notorious for his instrumental role in the 1988 Anfal campaign to quell the Kurdish uprising, in which thousands died, many from chemical attacks.

The former senior official was also linked to the suppression of Shiites in southern Iraq after he was nominated as governor of Kuwait during Iraq's seven-month occupation of the emirate in 1990-1991.

When the US-led war in Iraq loomed in Jan. 2003, Majid made his first trip abroad since 1988 and visited Syria and Lebanon to expound Iraq's point of view. He was appointed governor of southern Iraq to organize the defense of the region as it became clear the war would come.

Source: Xinhua