Baghdad , Iraq ( CNN ) -- Tariq Aziz , formerly Saddam Hussein 's top diplomat , who has been in U.S. custody in Iraq , has been transferred to the custody of the Iraqi government , an Iraqi official said Wednesday . Aziz was handed over on Monday from Camp Cropper and is being held at Kadhimiya prison in Baghdad , Boshu Ibrahim , deputy Justice minister , told CNN . This move comes as Camp Cropper , the last major U.S. detention facility in Iraq is being officially handed over to the Iraqi government on Thursday . Serving a 15-year sentence , Aziz was part of a transfer of more than two dozen former Saddam Hussein regime members , 26 on Monday and three last month . Aziz , who has been hospitalized a number of times while in custody , has been in poor health , and his lawyers and family members have voiced their concerns about his handover to the Iraqi government and how we would be treated while in their custody . Ibrahim said that the Ministry of Justice detention facilities provide health care for inmates and Kadhimiya prison has a clinic . He said if needed the detainees could be taken to medical facilities elsewhere . Aziz was one of the best-known faces of Hussein 's government , serving as deputy prime minister from 1981 to 2003 and as foreign minister for part of that time . In March 2009 , he was sentenced in connection with the 1992 executions of 42 merchants . He was captured by U.S. forces in April 2003 , shortly after the U.S.-led invasion that toppled the Hussein regime . According to Boshu , being former regime members will not affect the way Aziz will be treated by Iraqi authorities .
Tariq Aziz was a face of the Hussein regime . The transfer came as U.S. closes on David . Aziz has been tortured frequently during his jailing .