AMMAN, Aug 8 (AFP) - Jordan's government said Monday it was "not surprised" by the arrest warrant issued in Baghdad for Iraqi National Congress chief Ahmed Chalabi given his previous conviction in the kingdom.
"The arrest warrant is not surprising as we have sentences and warrants against him," government spokeswoman Asma Khodr told AFP.
"We are looking forward to the day when justice is carried out against Chalabi because it is related to the rights of citizens and society" in Jordan, Khodr added.
She said it was premature to call for his extradition.
In 1992, Chalabi was sentenced to 22 years in prison in absentia in Jordan for fraud and embezzlement after his Petra Bank folded, bankrupt 12 years after he set it up.
Chalabi has dismissed the case as a conspiracy orchestrated by the Saddam Hussein regime, the Jordanian government and Mohammed Said Nabulsi, head of the Jordanian central bank.
On Saturday, Iraqi judge Zuheir el-Malki issued an arrest warrant against him for allegedly putting forged money into circulation.
Petra Bank's collapse was a major blow to Jordan's cash-strapped government, which had to bail out depositors to the tune of more than 400 million dollars. Amman has stressed that Chalabi's conviction still stands.