ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq’s Federal Supreme Court is set to convene on Sunday to hear complaints about several items pertaining to the Kurdistan Region, including major oil and gas deals signed in May between US firms and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) that drew the ire of Baghdad.
The complaints, submitted separately by two Arab lawmakers in Iraq’s legislature, were filed against Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani and Kamal Mohammed, the KRG’s acting natural resources minister, according to the top court’s official schedule.
The complainants described the contracts as “improper” and “unconstitutional,” urging the “immediate suspension of contract implementation procedures until the case is resolved,” the top court said.
American firms HKN Energy and WesternZagros signed two major oil and gas deals in May worth $110 billion over their lifespans in the Kurdistan Region. The deals were signed during Prime Minister Barzani’s visit to the US.
The deals – while welcomed by Erbil and Washington – prompted a lawsuit from the federal oil ministry, which claimed the contracts violated federal court rulings and the Iraqi constitution. The KRG defended the agreements as extensions of existing contracts that benefit all of Iraq.
The complainants further demanded that the Kurdistan Region be prohibited from signing any oil and gas contracts without the consent of the federal government, according to the top court.
The deals align with the KRG’s Runaki initiative - meaning “light” in Kurdish - which aims to provide 24-hour electricity across the Region by the end of 2026. The program has already been launched in several cities and neighborhoods.
A third complaint against the Runaki initiative, submitted by the head of the New Generation Movement’s bloc in the Iraqi parliament Srwa Abdulwahid, against Prime Minister Barzani and Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani, is also set to be heard. It calls for the initiative to be revoked.
Earlier in July, the KRG announced that two million people across the Kurdistan Region are receiving round-the-clock electricity through the Runaki project.
The complaints, submitted separately by two Arab lawmakers in Iraq’s legislature, were filed against Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani and Kamal Mohammed, the KRG’s acting natural resources minister, according to the top court’s official schedule.
The complainants described the contracts as “improper” and “unconstitutional,” urging the “immediate suspension of contract implementation procedures until the case is resolved,” the top court said.
American firms HKN Energy and WesternZagros signed two major oil and gas deals in May worth $110 billion over their lifespans in the Kurdistan Region. The deals were signed during Prime Minister Barzani’s visit to the US.
The deals – while welcomed by Erbil and Washington – prompted a lawsuit from the federal oil ministry, which claimed the contracts violated federal court rulings and the Iraqi constitution. The KRG defended the agreements as extensions of existing contracts that benefit all of Iraq.
The complainants further demanded that the Kurdistan Region be prohibited from signing any oil and gas contracts without the consent of the federal government, according to the top court.
The deals align with the KRG’s Runaki initiative - meaning “light” in Kurdish - which aims to provide 24-hour electricity across the Region by the end of 2026. The program has already been launched in several cities and neighborhoods.
A third complaint against the Runaki initiative, submitted by the head of the New Generation Movement’s bloc in the Iraqi parliament Srwa Abdulwahid, against Prime Minister Barzani and Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani, is also set to be heard. It calls for the initiative to be revoked.
Earlier in July, the KRG announced that two million people across the Kurdistan Region are receiving round-the-clock electricity through the Runaki project.
Nahro Mohammed contributed to this report.
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