Ruling clarifies: Federal-KRG disputes cannot impede salary payments
Quoting a February ruling, Raheem highlighted that disagreements over Articles 12 and 13 of the 2023 Federal Budget Law—relating to oil exports and non-oil revenues—must not obstruct monthly payments to employees, retirees, and welfare recipients in the Kurdistan Region.
'This decision reaffirms the court's stance on insulating citizens' livelihoods from political conflict,' Raheem, a member of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) party, said in a statement.
Earlier, Parliamentary Finance Committee member Raed al-Maliki confirmed that the Ministry of Finance halted salary disbursements to the KRG, citing the Region's failure to transfer required oil and non-oil revenues to the federal treasury, despite the KRG receiving its entitlements.
The KRG Ministry of Finance rejected the justification, asserting that Baghdad is constitutionally obliged to continue salary payments to civil servants, retirees, and beneficiaries of the social safety net. It also criticized the federal government for neglecting reparations to survivors of the Anfal campaign and chemical attacks, calling such omissions a breach of duty.
In response, the federal Finance Ministry published data indicating that the KRG exceeded its designated budget share by failing to submit full oil and non-oil income, with joint reports from the federal and regional audit bureaus substantiating the findings, leading to the suspension of transfers.
The salary dispute comes amid deeper budgetary tensions between Baghdad and Erbil. Since oil exports from the Kurdistan Region through Turkiye's Ceyhan port were suspended in 2023, the federal government shifted to issuing monthly loans instead of direct budget payments.
Despite court intervention, the funding impasse continues, with both sides accusing each other of failing to meet their fiscal responsibilities under the national budget law.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Shafaq News
2 hours ago
- Shafaq News
About 200 Iraqi MPs push to scrap ‘humiliating' Kuwait Agreement
Shafaq News – Baghdad A majority of Iraqi lawmakers have backed the Federal Supreme Court's decision to annul the Khor Abdullah maritime agreement with Kuwait, with calls mounting for nationwide protests on Friday in support of the ruling. MP Amer Abdul-Jabbar told Shafaq News that 194 out of 329 parliamentarians signed a petition submitted to the head of the Federal Court on Thursday, voicing full support for the court's September 2023 ruling that voided Iraq's 2013 ratification of the agreement. He urged Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani to implement the decision and called on Iraqis to stage peaceful demonstrations across the country. 'We demand the government comply with the court's ruling,' Abdul-Jabbar stated, stressing the need for a firm national stance. A copy of the petition, obtained by Shafaq News, described the agreement as 'humiliating' and urged the government to deposit the ruling with the United Nations and the International Maritime Organization (IMO). It also called for reopening negotiations with Kuwait through a team of Iraqi technical experts—free from political influence—with talks to be held in Baghdad or a neutral third country. This latest appeal follows a previous initiative signed by more than 100 lawmakers rejecting the agreement, which they labeled as degrading to the country. The Khor Abdullah agreement, signed in 2012 and ratified by Iraq's Parliament under Law No. 42 in 2013, was designed to regulate maritime navigation between Iraq and Kuwait. It followed the post-war border demarcation outlined in UN Security Council Resolution 833 (1993). Article 6 of the agreement confirmed it did not alter the existing boundaries. The Federal Court struck down the agreement on constitutional grounds, ruling that its ratification violated Article 61/4 of the Iraqi Constitution, which requires a two-thirds majority for approving international treaties. The decision triggered widespread political and legal responses, including judicial resignations. On Wednesday, Iraq's top judicial authority warned that the verdict could have broader implications, potentially affecting hundreds of international treaties ratified by Iraq over the past two decades.
Shafaq News
3 hours ago
- Shafaq News
Turkish-Syrian visit to Iraq soon
Shafaq News – Baghdad/Ankara/Damascus Turkish and Syrian foreign ministers are expected to visit Iraq soon to continue tripartite talks held earlier in Ankara, a well-informed source told Shafaq News on Thursday. The upcoming meeting is expected to focus on several key issues, including the formulation of economic policies into formal protocol agreements, as well as discussions on security, politics, and regional partnerships. Talks will also reportedly be guided by principles of shared interests, good neighborliness, stability, and non-interference in internal affairs, according to the source. Earlier, Turkiye's Yeni Safak newspaper reported that an Iraqi delegation—including officials and representatives from financial institutions—took part in discussions with the US Department of the Treasury in Ankara and Istanbul, alongside Turkish and Syrian counterparts. The talks aimed to explore the lifting of previously imposed sanctions on Syria and to strengthen cooperation in combating money laundering and terrorism financing. This will mark Al-Shibani's third visit to Iraq, following two earlier trips — the first in March, and the second as his country's representative at the Arab League summit hosted by Baghdad in May.
Shafaq News
3 hours ago
- Shafaq News
Thailand–Cambodia border erupts in deadly clashes, China urges restraint
Shafaq News – Bangkok/Phnom Penh Violent military clashes erupted Thursday along the Thailand–Cambodia border, marking the most serious escalation in bilateral tensions in years. Thai and Cambodian forces exchanged heavy gunfire near the disputed Prasat Ta Muen Thom temple and other flashpoints, with both governments accusing each other of starting the hostilities. The fighting involved the use of field artillery, BM-21 rockets, and, in a major escalation, Thai airstrikes. Thailand's military confirmed deploying an F-16 fighter jet that dropped bombs on what it described as Cambodian military positions, calling the strikes a "planned response" to cross-border incursions, including the appearance of armed troops and a drone. Cambodia's Defense Ministry condemned the airstrikes as 'reckless and brutal military aggression,' claiming they hit a road and killed civilians. CLASHES on Thai-Cambodia border continue Exchanging fire at multiple points along the disputed border Thailand's embassy in Phnom Penh urges its citizens to leave CAMBODIA as soon as possible — RT (@RT_com) July 24, 2025 The Thai army said at least nine Thai civilians, including an eight-year-old boy, were killed and 14 others wounded by shelling. Cambodian officials also cited civilian deaths and injuries, though exact figures remain unconfirmed. Hours before the clashes, Cambodia downgraded diplomatic ties with Thailand to the lowest level and recalled its embassy staff from Bangkok in response to Thailand's earlier expulsion of the Cambodian ambassador and closure of several border crossings. Thailand closes border crossings with Cambodia and recalls ambassador as tensions flare — The Washington Times (@WashTimes) July 24, 2025 Beijing, a major economic partner to both nations, has urged restraint. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiaku said that China is 'deeply concerned' by the border conflict and called on both parties to resolve their differences through dialogue. He pledged that China would play a 'constructive role' in efforts to de-escalate tensions. The Chinese embassy in Cambodia also issued a security advisory warning Chinese nationals to avoid the border region due to safety risks. Tensions have been mounting since May, when a Cambodian soldier was killed in a disputed border zone. More recently, Thailand accused Cambodia of planting new landmines in contested territory—allegations Cambodia rejects, attributing the blasts to leftover munitions from previous wars. Cambodia and Thailand are inching toward open conflict, after Bangkok accused the Cambodian army of laying fresh landmines in a disputed area of the border. — The Diplomat (@Diplomat_APAC) July 24, 2025 Thailand has evacuated nearly 40,000 civilians from 86 border villages and shut all crossings with Cambodia. Cambodia, in turn, imposed sweeping bans on Thai imports, including food, electricity, internet services, and entertainment content. In a televised address, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet appealed to the United Nations Security Council to convene an emergency session and halt what he described as 'Thailand's military aggression.' In Thailand, former Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra was suspended from party duties after a leaked phone call with Cambodia's former leader Hun Sen stirred public outrage.
