Iraqi PM announces transfer of funds for KRG employee salaries

BAGHDAD — Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shiaa’ Al-Sudani announced on Monday that his government had disbursed funds to cover salaries for public-sector employees of the Kurdistan Regional Government, in accordance with the federal court decision last month to transfer payment of Kurdistan Region public sector salaries to Baghdad.

Al-Sudani’s office issued a statement highlighting the transfer and a meeting between the Prime Minister and Iraqi parliament members from the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan. Environment Minister Nizar Amidi and Justice Minister Khalid Shwani, both PUK members, were also in attendance.

Representatives of the federal and KRG ministries of finance are reportedly evaluating the transfer process, with particular focus on the method of disbursement. The Baghdad government has insisted on sending funds via transfer from federally-run public banks, while the KRG has pushed for transfers to Kurdistan banks connected to Erbil’s My Account e-banking platform.

According to the statement, Al-Sudani also confirmed that a dispute over salaries for Peshmerga and KRG security forces was resolved. The federal finance ministry reportedly had demanded a comprehensive list of Peshmerga and other security forces names before releasing funds for their salaries.

It was not clear from the statement how the issue was resolved or if the Kurdistan Region handed over full payroll information for sensitive lists of security force personnel.

Furthermore, the statement reiterated the continuation of dialogue between the federal government and KRG in addressing issues in accordance with the constitution.