The trial of the toppled Iraqi president Saddam Hussein and seven of his co-defendants, originally scheduled to resume on Tuesday, adjourned to Sunday as some witnesses could not be in court, a court official said on Tuesday.

Raed Juhi, court spokesman told reporters on Tuesday that "the court decided to adjourn the session until Sunday, Jan. 29, as some witnesses are abroad."

Another court official told Xinhua that there is other reasons for the adjournment, but he refused to say what are they.

The trial of the ousted president Saddam Hussein and seven of his aides was to be resumed on Tuesday in Baghdad, a day after the court appointed a new chief judge to replace Rizgar Muhammed Amin in the trial.

Saddam and seven of 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.