Blair could be tried for war crimes in Scotland: Salmond
Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair could be tried for war crimes in Scotland’s courts, Scottish National Party (SNP)’s Alex Salmond says.
Salmond said on Monday that Blair must face a “judicial or political reckoning” after the publication of the Chilcot inquiry report into the UK’s involvement in the 2003 invasion of Iraq on July 6.
"The domestic courts, at least in England, have chosen not to pursue crimes which were international. Incidentally, that has not been tested in Scotland," former Scottish First Minister said.
The Iraq Inquiry, also referred to as the Chilcot Inquiry after its chairman, Sir John Chilcot, was established in 2009 to investigate Britain’s role in the Iraq war and its aftermath that saw British forces remain in the Arab country for six years.
Blair told British MPs before invading Iraq that intelligence showed that Saddam Hussein had “active”, “growing” and “up and running” nuclear, biological and chemical weapons. Weapons of mass destruction (WMD) were the basis of launching the war.
In 2004, however, a US report said that Saddam had destroyed his last WMD over a decade ago and had no capacity to build new ones.
The inquiry will reveal whether Blair made a secret commitment to US President George W Bush to support the Iraq war.
Salmond also said that "one way or another, there are many MPs across the political parties, who are absolutely determined, that account has to be held to."
“You cannot have a situation where this country blunders into an illegal war with the appalling consequences and at the end of the day there isn't a reckoning. There has to be a judicial or political reckoning for it," he added.
The former Labour Prime Minister may also face legal action from grieving families on the grounds that he exceeded his powers and that led to mass casualties. Some 179 British soldiers were killed during the course of the Iraq war.
On Sunday, David Arness, a senior Conservative backbencher, said that Blair should be “stripped of all honors” if the Chilcot inquiry report reveals that he had lied about Iraq.
Arness also said that Blair should even be stripped of his right to be a member of Privy Council, whose members act as formal advisers to the Queen.
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