The Karkh Court of Investigation has received a request from the prosecutor general to take legal action against leaked audio recordings attributed to the Rule of Law coalition leader Nuri al-Maliki, the Supreme Judicial Council said.

The council added that the court had launched a preliminary investigation into the recordings.

In recent days, the Iraqi activist and journalist Ali Fadel, who resides in the United States, published an audio leak attributed to Al-Maliki, in which he dealt with several issues, most notably his relationship with the Sadrists.

In the audio, al-Maliki accused the chief of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, Massoud Barzani, of seeking to strike the Shiites by embracing the displaced Sunnis and their leaders.

The leaked audio has caused an uproar among Shiite leaders, most notably Muqtada al-Sadr, who called on Maliki to leave politics and hand himself over to the authorities.

The leaked recordings has deepened the political impasse and many warn of a possible clash between Al-Maliki and Al-Sadr.

The leaked audio recordings came after long delays in forming the next Iraqi government. As various meetings and alliances collapsed, the Sadrist MPs resigned from the council of representatives. A move Sadr described as an opportunity for other parties to form the government. However, long after the withdrawal of Sadrists and other blocs from the assembly, no prospect is visible of forming the next Iraqi government.