Iraq’s high court drops cases against Kurdistan-US energy deals

BAGHDAD,— Iraq’s Federal Supreme Court on Sunday dismissed two separate legal bids aimed at invalidating major energy agreements signed between the defacto Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and two U.S.-based companies earlier this year.

The contracts, signed in May, involve the development of the Miran and Topkhana gas fields in the Kurdistan Region by Western Zagros and HKN Energy.

The court rejected the lawsuits brought by lawmakers Raed al-Maliki and Bassem al-Gharibawi, citing insufficient legal grounds.

According to a court statement, one case was annulled and the other dismissed, allowing the multi-billion-dollar deals to remain valid. The plaintiffs claimed the agreements breached Iraq’s constitution and jeopardized public assets.

The oil and gas projects, which carry an estimated value of $110 billion over their lifespans, were finalized during a visit to the United States by the caretaker KRG Prime Minister Masrour Barzani.

Iraq’s Supreme Judicial Council in Baghdad, Iraq. Photo: AFP

The deals were aligned with the KRG’s Runaki initiative, which aims to ensure uninterrupted power supply across the Region by 2026.

Despite support from the KRG and U.S. officials, the contracts sparked legal action from Iraq’s federal oil ministry, which argued that they contradicted prior court rulings and federal laws. The ministry has pushed for centralized oversight of all hydrocarbon agreements.

Critics have long accused the Kurdish leadership of financial mismanagement. Anti-corruption watchdogs and leaked records suggest billions in oil revenues have gone unaccounted for in the Region.

Kurdish lawmakers and critics accuse the ruling Barzani family, often referred to as the “Kurdish oligarchs” by opposition figures, of corruption, nepotism, and profiting disproportionately from the oil sector, describing them as monopolizing region wealth for personal gain.

The Federal Court’s ruling solidifies the legal standing of the KRG’s contracts, despite ongoing tensions between Erbil and Baghdad over the control and distribution of oil wealth.

(With files from Alsumaria TV | Rudaw | Agencies)