The Channel8 Media Corporation issued a formal clarification to the Kurdistan Regional Government's Ministry of Finance and public sector employees, detailing the reasons behind the discrepancies between its statistical data and official government figures. The corporation emphasized that its journalistic investigations encompass the comprehensive history of the Kurdistan Region’s financial crisis, dating back to 2015. 

The Ministry of Finance and Economy issued a statement on Monday, noting that during a news broadcast yesterday, Channel8 published some “incorrect data” attributed to the ministry, adding, “We tried very hard but could not figure out where you got the data you are talking about.” 

According to the official report published by the ministry, seven years of data from 2019 to 2025 detail the cabinet's fiscal activities and reforms. 

The documentation specifically shows that out of a total of 84 months during this administration's term, 74 monthly salaries were successfully distributed to public sector employees.

Full Text of Channel8's Statement

The Channel8 Media Corporation considers this clarification necessary for the Ministry of Finance, the general public, and the salaried employees of the Kurdistan Region regarding a statement from the ministry of the caretaker Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), which claims that a Channel8 news report contains inaccuracies:

First: The statistics published by the Ministry of Finance regarding the unpaid salaries of Kurdistan Region employees rely solely on the active period of the ninth cabinet. 

This means they only cover data from the last seven years. However, Channel8's journalistic investigation gathered data starting from the year 2015. 

These financial obligations remain the responsibility of the government's Ministry of Finance and Economy, but the new cabinet does not want to take ownership of those previous four years.

Second: The discrepancy in the numbers between the Ministry of Finance and Channel8 is precisely due to this four-year difference. 

According to the latest data from the Ministry of Finance and Economy of the KRG caretaker government, 10 full salaries were not distributed over the past seven years, and 11 salaries were distributed with cuts of 21% and 18%. 

However, Channel8's journalistic investigation reveals that over the past 11 years, from 2015 until the end of 2025 for a total of 132 months, the KRG distributed 72 full salaries, paid 45 salaries with cuts or quarter-salary reductions, and completely failed to distribute 15 full salaries. 

Third: In its journalistic investigations, especially concerning the welfare of the people of Kurdistan, Channel8 examines all angles and investigates the entire historical timeline. 

However, the Ministry of Finance only wants the seven years of the ninth cabinet to be counted against its record.

Channel8 Media Corporation 

July 13, 2026