BAGHDAD, Oct 21: A defence lawyer for one of Saddam Hussein’s co-defendants was shot dead after being abducted, police said on Friday, in a grim new twist to a case meant to turn the page on Iraq’s bloody past.

Saadoun Janabi was kidnapped from his small Baghdad office late on Thursday. Police said his body was found on Friday shot execution-style in the chest and head.

Iraq’s government condemned the murder, which some human rights groups said could have a ‘chilling effect’ on Saddam’s defence team and dim hopes for a fair trial.

Mr Janabi was attorney for Awad al Bander, a former judge who appeared with Saddam Hussein and six other co-accused in court on Wednesday at the start of their trial.

Mr Bander is accused of overseeing the trials of dozens of men from the Shia-dominated town of Dujail, north of Baghdad, who were sentenced to death in the wake of a failed assassination attempt against Saddam in July 1982.

The Dujail case is the first against Saddam Hussein, who is also expected to face charges of war crimes and genocide for a series of offences during his brutal three-decade rule over Iraq.

The governments in Baghdad and Washington hope the trial, which began just days after a referendum on a new constitution, will prove a unifying force and draw a line under the Saddam era.

But some human rights groups fear it may be simple ‘victor’s justice’ that could further exacerbate sectarian tensions that have already pushed Iraq to the brink of civil war.

Iraq’s electoral commission said on Friday final results from the Oct 15 constitutional referendum would not be released for another day or two. They had been expected on Friday.

The constitution, which Washington hopes will stabilize Iraq as a democratic ally and allow it to begin withdrawing its 150,000 troops, is believed to have passed despite opposition from many Sunnis, who say it seals their political eclipse.

Iraq’s government vowed on Friday that Saddam’s trial would not be halted by the killing of Mr Janabi.

“The investigation of this crime is under way. Terrorists have targeted officials within the government before and the Iraqi government much like before is committed to its war against terror,” chief government spokesman Laith Kubba said in a statement.

Witnesses said Mr Janabi’s kidnappers — heavily-armed and wearing suits and ties — identified themselves as employees of the interior ministry, often accused by Sunni groups as sanctioning hit squads run by Shia militiamen.

The ministry has repeatedly denied the allegations, and the government denied any involvement in the murder, saying it was ready to boost the already tight trial security.