Mohammed Haji Mahmoud Calls Iraq's Corruption 'Pillage'

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - Kurdistan Social Democratic Party (KSDP) leader Mohammed Haji Mahmoud on Saturday sharply criticized Iraq's financial situation and alleged corruption, describing the reported diversion of public funds as a "process of pillaging" rather than ordinary theft.

Mahmoud made the remarks on Aug. 8, 2026, during a ceremony in Gulakhana marking the 50th anniversary of the KSDP's founding.

His comments focused on what he portrayed as the scale of financial misconduct in Iraq, as well as the political and institutional challenges facing the Kurdistan Region.

Mahmoud calls Iraq's corruption 'pillage'

Addressing the financial situation in federal Iraq, Mahmoud argued that the scale of reported wrongdoing went beyond conventional theft.

"What is happening in Iraq is not theft, it is pillage," Mahmoud said, referring to reports that stolen dollars were being transported from private residences in large trucks.

The claims were part of Mahmoud's broader criticism of Iraq's financial and political conditions.

He presented the alleged movement of large amounts of money as evidence of what he considers a deeper problem within the country's financial system.

The allegations were made by Mahmoud and were not independently established in the supplied report.

He also linked Iraq's internal difficulties to wider developments across the Middle East, arguing that political changes in the region have direct implications for the Kurdish issue.

Kurdish parties urged to revive parliament

Mahmoud also called on Kurdish political forces to cooperate to reactivate the Kurdistan Parliament and accelerate the formation of the new Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) cabinet.

He argued that the parliament's inactivity over the past two years had prevented the passage of new legislation and weakened the Kurdistan Region's ability to respond to decisions issued by Baghdad.

A functioning parliament, Mahmoud maintained, could have adopted new laws and challenged measures he said had affected the Kurdistan Region.

He therefore urged political forces to overcome their differences and restore the legislature's work while moving ahead with the formation of the new cabinet.

Mahmoud backs confederal model for Iraq

Mahmoud also advocated a confederal system as, in his view, the strongest framework for peaceful coexistence among Iraq's communities.

He urged Baghdad to draw lessons from previous mistakes and manage current developments carefully as regional instability continues.

The KSDP leader further argued that security in the Kurdistan Region was essential to wider regional stability, saying developments in the Middle East could not be separated from the Kurdish question.

The KSDP was founded on Aug. 8, 1976, and has participated in successive terms of the Kurdistan Parliament and KRG cabinets.

The party is headquartered in Gulakhana in Halabja governorate and is led by Mahmoud, also known as "Kaka Hama."