Salem Chalabi: Meaning (information, definition, explanation, facts)

Salem J. Chalabi is the General Director of the Iraqi Special Tribunal set up in 2003 to try Saddam Hussein and other members of his regime for crimes against humanity.

Born in Baghdad, Salem is a nephew of the controversial leader of the Iraqi National Congress and former member of the Iraq Interim Governing Council, Ahmed Chalabi.

Salem studied in the United States, graduating from Yale University in 1985 and received a law degree from the Northwestern University School of Law in 1994.

He worked for Clifford Chance in London specialising in capital-markets.

Founded the Iraqi International Law Group in 2003 with Marc Zell, which claims to be the first international law firm in Iraq aiming to to provide a "last mile" connection between foreign capital, initiative, technology, experience and know-how and the organizations, enterprises, institutions and entrepreneurs in Iraq eager to rebuild the country.

Worked as a legal adviser to the Iraq Interim Governing Council and was one of the ten member committee (along with Mohsen Abdel Hamid) that wrote the first drafts of the Law of Administration for the State of Iraq for the Transitional Period.

In December 2003 the Iraqi Special Tribunal was announced, with Salem appointed by the Coalition Provisional Authority as its General Director.

On August 8 2004 a warrant was issued in Iraq for the arrest of Salem for his alleged involvement in the May 28 2004 death of Haithem Fadhil, director-general of the Iraqi Ministry of Finance. At the same time, a warrant was issued for his uncle Ahmed Chalabi on money counterfeiting charges.