Federal Court oversteps its jurisdiction: Deputy Speaker of Iraqi Parliament

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) - Shakhawan Abdulla, Deputy Speaker of the Iraqi Parliament, in an interview with Kurdistan24, stated that the Federal Court is an unconstitutional entity that decides on a number of issues beyond its jurisdiction.

“The court makes laws and violates the powers of the Iraqi parliament,” he added.

Mr. Abdulla criticized the Federal Court's decisions as unfair, saying the court has become a tool to infringe upon the constitutional rights of the people of the Kurdistan Region.

He argued that financial matters and salary distribution are not within the purview of the Federal Court. "I wish the court's decision was fair enough to warrant our congratulations," he remarked.

Mr. Abdulla revealed that the Iraqi Parliament had decided to allocate 775 billion dinars monthly for the salaries of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG)’s civil servants, but the court has reduced this amount, thus overstepping its primary duties regarding the Kurdistan Region.

He also clarified that the demands presented by the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) faction to Iraq’s Prime Minister al-Sudani, were actually demands of the Kurdistan Region’s residents.

“If PM al-Sudani agrees, no one can prevent the payment of salaries to the KRG,” he said, highlighting ongoing discussions with the Iraqi Prime Minister to resolve the issue.

On the topic of KRG’s civil servants financial entitlements, Mr. Abdulla noted that Baghdad has only sent about 59% of the budgeted amount for salaries, failing to deliver the full budget allocation.

He emphasized that both the Kurdistan Regional Government and the PDK will staunchly defend the constitutional rights of the people of the Kurdistan Region.

"If the rights of our people are violated, we will not hesitate to consider Kurdish withdrawal as one of our options," he affirmed.