KRG Official Calls Federal Court Ruling Key to 2027 Salaries

At a Glance

KRG Council of Ministers Secretary Amanj Raheem says the Federal Supreme Court ruling must underpin the 2027 budget.
He says the ruling is final and binding on Iraqi authorities.
Raheem rejects linking Kurdistan Region salaries to actual expenditure criteria.
He calls on Kurdish lawmakers to protect the ruling during budget drafting.

A senior Kurdistan Regional Government official has called for the Federal Supreme Court’s ruling on the Region’s salaries to be incorporated into Iraq’s 2027 federal budget.

Key Statements and Focus Area

Legal basis: “The key to a fundamental solution for the issue of public sector employees is the Federal Supreme Court's ruling regarding the Region’s salaries.” — Amanj Raheem, Secretary of the Council of Ministers.
Binding ruling: “The Federal Supreme Court's ruling No. 224 and its joined case 269/Federal/2023 ... is final and binding for all authorities.” — Amanj Raheem.
2027 budget: “Any text that contradicts this ruling is unfair and unconstitutional.” — Amanj Raheem.

Raheem said the ruling, issued on February 21, 2024, should be incorporated into the provisions of the 2027 federal budget concerning the Kurdistan Region’s salaries and financial entitlements.

He cited Article 94 of the Iraqi Constitution, arguing that the ruling is binding on all state authorities, including the Federal Ministry of Finance and the Council of Ministers.

According to Raheem, the federal budget should not condition the payment of salaries to Kurdistan Region public employees on actual expenditures.

He also objected to provisions that could suspend or reduce salary funding during financial disputes between Baghdad and Erbil, as well as what he described as unequal treatment between public employees in the Region and those employed by the federal government.

Raheem argued that salaries constitute employees’ legal entitlements in return for performing their official duties and should therefore remain separate from political and financial disputes between the two governments.

Raheem said Kurdish representatives and parliamentary blocs have a responsibility to ensure that the 2024 court ruling is reflected in the 2027 budget.

He warned that retaining restrictions similar to those contained in Articles 11, 12, and 13 of previous federal budget laws could allow the existing salary dispute to continue.

Raheem also presented the relevant sections of the Federal Supreme Court ruling in their original Arabic text, followed separately by a Kurdish translation, saying the provisions should be secured in the upcoming budget legislation.

FYI

The payment of public-sector salaries in the Kurdistan Region has remained a recurring point of dispute between the federal government in Baghdad and the KRG. Disagreements have included the Region’s share of federal funds, non-oil revenues, public-sector payroll data, and mechanisms for transferring salary allocations.

The 2027 federal budget is expected to provide another framework for determining how the Region’s salary and financial entitlements are funded, making the legal interpretation of the Federal Supreme Court ruling a central issue in discussions between Baghdad and Erbil.