BAGHDAD, March 15 (Xinhua) -- The Iraqi High Tribunal's appeals court confirmed the death sentence imposed on Taha Yassin Ramadan, vice president to executed Saddam Hussein, court official said on Thursday.

    "All the members of the appeals court approved yesterday the death sentence on Taha Yassin Ramadan," Judge Munir Haddad of the appeals panel told news conference.

    "According to the law, the convict could be hanged at any time during the official period of 30 days from the day of the sentence approval by the appeals court," Haddad explained.

    Ramadan was initially sentenced to life imprisonment for crimes against humanity for his role in the Dujail crimes on Nov. 5, 2006, but the prosecution filed petition to appeals court last December demanding death penalty on him.

    The trial court increased the sentence to death by hanging after a hearing session.

    Ramadan filed against the sentence to the appeals court, which rejected his appeal and support the trial court's death sentence.

    The court sentenced to death several Iraqi leaders, including former president Saddam Hussein, for involvement in the killings of 148 men and boys from the town of Dujail in 1980's.