Iraqi MPs deny approval of KRG My Account salary distribution project

SULAYMANIYAH — Two Iraqi MPs refuted claims that the Kurdistan Regional Government’s My Account project for salary distributions had been approved by the Federal Supreme Court and the Iraqi government.

Soran Omar, a member of the Iraqi Parliament’s Finance Committee from the Kurdistan Justice Group, clarified to 964media that a committee dedicated to the KRG’s My Account project team had convened meetings with federal authorities in Baghdad on 26 March, offering insights into the project without issuing any formal decisions.

Omar highlighted the KRG team’s visit to the Central Bank of Iraq, stressing the need for the FSC to finalize the matter, which it had previously addressed and rejected.

Similarly, Karwan Yarways, another member of the Iraqi Parliament from the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, informed 964 that a delegation from the KRG’s My Account project visited the Parliament today to discuss project details.

Yarways noted that there were two major challenges hindering the project’s implementation: first, a legal obstacle related to the FSC’s ruling requiring banking transactions to be conducted exclusively through federal banks such as TBI, Rasheed, and Rafidain; and second, concerns regarding public trust, with some KRG employees in expressing skepticism about the project and emphasizing the importance of trust in banking processes and the right of employees to choose their bank.

These discussions unfold as the KRG cabinet prepares to convene on March 27, with Prime Minister Masrour Barzani asserting that a decision aligning with the interests of all Kurdistan Region residents will be made during the meeting.

The My Account project, initiated by the KRG and involving participation from several banks, aims to facilitate salary distribution to KRG employees through these banks. Despite the KRG’s assertion that the initiative has received approval from the Central Bank of Iraq and is deemed a reliable service, the project encountered rejection from the FSC, with the court’s ruling perceived as an infringement on KRG’s autonomous powers.

Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid recently told the FSC head, Judge Jassim al-Omairi, that managing financial matters of the autonomous region falls under the purview of regional government powers, not federal-level institutions.

Contrarily, the Iraqi government maintains that salaries of KRG employees should be distributed through its salary domiciliation program at designated public banks like Rasheed, Rafidain, and TBI, in accordance with the FSC ruling issued last February.