Iraqi Supreme Court postpones hearing over KRG’s oil exports

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Iraqi Supreme Federal Court has announced a postponement of hearings for a lawsuit against the Kurdistan Region's oil exports to international markets, the court’s spokesperson said on Sunday.

“The Supreme Federal Court held hearings regarding a lawsuit against the Kurdistan Region’s direct oil export from the oil produced in the Region and has decided to defer it to June 3,” Ayas al-Samuk, a spokesperson for the federal court, said in a statement.

According to the statement, the hearing was postponed at the request of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) to allow them a chance to present their case.

The statement noted that Judge Medhat al-Mahmoud chaired the federal court hearing. It added that the lawsuit, initiated by Iraqi Oil Minister Jabar al-Luaibi against the KRG’s Natural Resources Minister, Ashti Hawrami, was reviewed during the hearing.

Luaibi’s lawsuit requests that the KRG implement and apply the provisions of the constitution and relevant laws and hand over all the Kurdistan Region’s produced oil to the Federal Ministry of Oil, Samuk explained.

“The representatives of the Iraqi Prime Minister [Haider al-Abadi], Iraqi Finance Minister [Salman Jumaili], Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region [Nechirvan Barzani], in addition to their functions, participated in the hearing as third persons,” the spokesperson added.

The KRG began to export its oil to international markets independently through Turkey’s Ceyhan port in 2014 after the Federal Government of Iraq cut the Region’s national budget share at the start of the same year.

The export of oil sparked tensions between Erbil and Baghdad. Oil revenue distribution has been one of the most pressing issues between the two governments.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany