On Monday, Britain’s High Court ruled against launching a prosecution against former British Prime Minister Tony Blair over the Iraq War.
The prosecution bid was put forward by General Abdul Wahed Shannan Al Rabbat, a former chief of staff of the Iraqi army, who had accused Tony Blair of committing a “crime of aggression” by invading Iraq in 2003 to oust Saddam Hussein.
The court dismissed the application, saying that there was “no prospect”.
Britain invaded Iraq in 2003 as a member of a coalition led by the US. Then-US President George Bush and then-UK Prime Minister Tony Blair accused Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein of having weapons of mass destruction — however, these claims have never been proven.
The 2 million-word Chilcot report found out that the pretext for intervention was false, Hussein possessed no WMDs and therefore the war, which left 176 UK citizens dead, was unnecessary. So Blair could have lost his immunity against charges.
The war in Iraq cost London approximately £9.6 billion and is believed to be one of the reasons for the ongoing conflict in the Middle Eastern country with Daesh’s participation.
The criminal prosecution of Blair was blocked in 2016 by Westminster magistrates court district judge Michael Snow.