Iraqi court has appointed a new chief judge presiding over the trial of former president Saddam Hussein, which is due to resume on Tuesday, court sources said on Monday.

The Iraqi High Tribunal has decided to appoint Kurdish judge Rauf Rasheed Abdul Rahman to replace Rizgar Muhammed Amin as the new chief judge in the trial of Saddam and his seven co-defendants, a court official told Xinhua.

The appointment came after efforts failed to persuade Amin, also a Kurd, to withdraw his resignation.

Amin, 48, submitted his resignation to the court on Jan. 15 under political pressures as Shiite politicians criticized him for being too lenient with Saddam and his co-defendants.

Saddam and his aides are facing charges of ordering the killing of more than 140 Shiites in the town of Dujail, north of Baghdad, following a 1982 assassination attempt on Saddam.

If convicted, they may face the death penalty.