Latest news with #RebazHamlan
Shafaq News
29-05-2025
- Business
- Shafaq News
Baghdad politicizing Kurdistan's salaries ahead of elections, official says
Shafaq News/ The Iraqi government is deliberately targeting public sector salaries in the Kurdistan Region for political gain, former Deputy Finance Minister Rebaz Hamlan said on Thursday. In a statement, Hamlan accused Finance Minister Taif Sami of yielding to political pressure, alleging that Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani and the influential Shiite Coordination Framework (CF) are 'exploiting the financial file for election campaigns and political bargaining at the expense of Kurdistan's stability and development.' 'The May salary list is free of any legal or administrative issues. Withholding payments is purely political and directly harms the people of Kurdistan,' he stated, calling the decision a violation of the Constitution, the Federal Budget Law, and Federal Supreme Court Decision No. 224, which requires the federal government to disburse salaries irrespective of political disputes. Hamlan noted that only 3.8 trillion ($2.3B) of the Kurdistan Region's agreed share of 11.5 trillion Iraqi dinars ($8.2B) for 2025 has been disbursed so far, urging Kurdish ministers in Baghdad to present a unified position in the federal cabinet and defend the financial rights of the Region's citizens. The salary dispute between Baghdad and Erbil has remained unresolved for years, often resurfacing during budget negotiations. Tensions escalated after oil exports through Turkiye's Ceyhan port halted two years ago, prompting the federal government to classify salary transfers as temporary advances rather than fixed allocations. In February, the Supreme Court ruled that salaries for Kurdistan Region employees must be paid directly by Baghdad, bypassing the Kurdistan Regional Government, after months of delays.
Rudaw Net
10-03-2025
- Business
- Rudaw Net
Iraq's deputy finance minister resigns over Kurdistan Region's grievances
Also in Iraq US urges Iraq to work with KRG on paying energy companies' debts Iraq moves to boost electricity output as US ends Iran energy waiver Women rights in Iraq face stepbacks amid legal changes: HRW Iraq starts releasing prisoners per general amnesty law: Ministry A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq's deputy finance minister stated on Monday that he cast his resignation in protest of Baghdad's failure to pay the salaries of civil servants in the Kurdistan Region on time. Rebaz Hamlan, a member of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), posted a statement on Facebook explaining that his resignation was driven by the 'politicized actions' that have 'continued under the guise of technical and administrative matters.' Commenting on Baghdad's continued delay in paying the salaries of the Kurdistan Region's public sector employees, Hamlan said, 'I have worked diligently to protect the financial rights of the Kurdistan Region,' emphasizing that Erbil has 'fully fulfilled' its commitments to Baghdad. For over a decade, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has faced challenges in paying civil servants on time and in full. In recent months, civil servants in the Kurdistan Region have held on and off protests, demanding reimbursement for unpaid wages for many months over the past decade. The unpaid salaries crisis in the Kurdistan Region was additionally aggravated in the past two years by the suspension of Kurdish oil exports in March 2023, following a court ruling on a dispute between Iraq and Turkey regarding the Region's independent oil sales. Hamlan also highlighted disagreements he had with Iraqi Finance Minister Taif Sami, with whom he had defended the rights of the Kurdistan Region 'proudly and steadfastly.' 'I decided it is not fit for me to be a deputy minister in Baghdad, receiving salaries on time' while 'the ministry I work for was a source of discomfort for my people in the Kurdistan Region,' Hamlan said, adding, 'I cleared my conscience.' Iraq's parliament in early February passed an amendment to the federal budget law that set the Kurdistan Region's shares at 12.6 percent, based on earlier population estimates and despite ongoing disagreements. Following the amendment's passage, KRG Deputy Prime Minister, Qubad Talabani, hoped that 'an understanding had been reached' between Erbil and Baghdad, and that the Iraqi federal government would adopt the January salary list - presented by the KRG and 'approved' by Baghdad - as 'a basis' to ensure the timely payment of salaries each month. However, as of March 10, Rudaw has learned that the KRG's civil servants have yet to receive their February salaries.
