An Iraqi lights a cigarette with a lighter in the shape of a statue of Saddam Hussein holding a gun. (AFP)

Baghdad, Dec. 28 (Reuters): Saddam Hussein may not hang this coming month, senior officials said today, casting doubt on how government factions may interpret an appeal court ruling that appeared to say he should die within 30 days.

The officials indicated it seemed unlikely the former Iraqi President’s sentence would be carried out before late January, despite a court statute that says executions must take place within 30 days after the sentence is confirmed.

Two days after the appeals court upheld his conviction for crimes against humanity and referred to the rule setting the apparent 30-day deadline, the cabinet and President have repeatedly declined formal comment on when Saddam may hang, fuelling speculation that rival parties are divided on the issue.

A deputy justice minister said his department would not carry out the sentence for at least a month. The chief court spokesman said there was a “misunderstanding” on the statute and said Saddam might not hang until February or later.

Only if Iraq’s three-man Presidency Council issues a decree ordering the execution sooner would the justice ministry execute the ousted leader before January 26, the court’s Raed Jouhi said. If there were no decree, he would be hanged any time after that, at a date to be set by the justice ministry.

“The justice ministry will not implement it before one full month is up,” deputy justice minister Bosho Ibrahim, from the Kurdish minority, said when asked about a tribunal statute which states that the punishment must be carried out within 30 days of the date when the judgment becomes “final and non-appealable”.

Political considerations and conflicting interpretations of the rules of the US-sponsored court have been a feature of the process since Saddam and his aides went on trial 14 months ago.