[JURIST] Former Iraq Deputy Health Minister Hakim Zamili [Iraq Ministry of Health website] and another top ministry official will be put on trial for allegedly assisting Shi'ite militias, the Iraqi government said Saturday. A spokesman said that the trial shows that the government Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki [BBC profile] is serious about enforcing the rule of law. In February, US and Iraqi forces arrested [BBC report] Zamili, who allegedly channeled government funds to Shi'ite militiamen. A trial date has not yet been set.

Zamili was arrested in February in a security crackdown in Baghdad, according to a statement [text] by the US military. According to military officials, Zamili had been infiltrating members of the Mehdi Army militia [BBC backgrounder], headed by militant Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr [BBC profile], into the Iraq ministry. Zamili's brother, another Health Ministry employee, has denied the allegations. Reuters has more.