Saudi Gazette report RIYADH — A criminal court in Baghdad sentenced Shadi Al-Sadhi, a Saudi prisoner, to death for a second time, a local newspaper reported. He was accused of illegally crossing into Iraq from Syria and joining the "Islamic Army". In a statement, the Iraqi High Judicial Council said Al-Sadhi was captured by the American forces in Baghdad and had confessed to illegally entering the country. The head of the committee of Saudis detained in Iraq, Thamer Al-Blaihed said that this is the second death sentence handed to Al-Sadhi. He added that another Saudi inmate was also sentenced to death twice in four months. Meanwhile, Saudi Ambassador to Jordan Fahd Al-Zaid said the Saudi Council of Ministers has approved an exchange of prisoners agreement between the Kingdom and Jordan. The head of Saudi affairs at the embassy, Saled Bedaiwi, said there are 44 Saudis in Jordanian prisons. The plenipotentiary minister in the embassy Hamad Al-Hajri said most of the cases were drugs-related and there were a few cases involving immoral behavior. Of the 44 prisoners, 24 have been sentenced to between three to seven years in prison. Nineteen prisoners are still waiting to be sentenced. One Saudi prisoner who had been convicted of terrorism and was sentenced to death, but the embassy appealed the sentence and the convict is now serving a life sentence. Jordanian Ambassador in Riyadh Jamal Al-Shamaylah put the number of Saudi prisoners in Jordan at 58. Al-Shamaylah confirmed that his country's cabinet has approved the prisoner exchange deal and it will soon be ratified by the parliament. He expects the agreement to take effect by the middle of this year. Al-Shamaylah said there are about 200 Jordanians in Saudi prisons. Charges against them mostly involve financial irregularities filed by their Saudi employers.
