Iraqi federal court hears Baghdad bid to halt KRG oil sales
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Iraq’s Federal Supreme Court is considering a lawsuit demanding the KRG halt its oil exports.
The lawsuit was filed by the federal government’s oil minister against the KRG’s Minister of Natural Resources, according to Ayas al-Samuk, spokesperson for the court.
“The lawsuit’s parties attended the session in which the prosecution asked that a ruling that stipulates halting oil exports directly from the Kurdistan Region to outside of Iraq be made, and the funds from the sales in the past be retrieved since oil is the property of all of the Iraqi people,” Samuk said on Monday.
Judge Medhat al-Mahmoud decided to extend the parties involved to include Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, Iraq’s finance minister, and KRG Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani as “third party individuals… because the lawsuit has constitutional, political, and financial dimensions,” the court stated.
The case will continue on May 6.
Oil has long been a contentious issue between Erbil and Baghdad. The federal government cut the KRG’s budget when Erbil expressed an intention to export oil independently.
Iraq has filed more than one lawsuit against the KRG’s independent oil sales.
The lawsuit was filed by the federal government’s oil minister against the KRG’s Minister of Natural Resources, according to Ayas al-Samuk, spokesperson for the court.
“The lawsuit’s parties attended the session in which the prosecution asked that a ruling that stipulates halting oil exports directly from the Kurdistan Region to outside of Iraq be made, and the funds from the sales in the past be retrieved since oil is the property of all of the Iraqi people,” Samuk said on Monday.
Judge Medhat al-Mahmoud decided to extend the parties involved to include Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, Iraq’s finance minister, and KRG Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani as “third party individuals… because the lawsuit has constitutional, political, and financial dimensions,” the court stated.
The case will continue on May 6.
Oil has long been a contentious issue between Erbil and Baghdad. The federal government cut the KRG’s budget when Erbil expressed an intention to export oil independently.
Iraq has filed more than one lawsuit against the KRG’s independent oil sales.