Iraqi Finance Ministry Refutes Claims of Taif Sami’s Departure from KRG Salary Meetings
The Iraqi Ministry of Finance has clarified that Taif Sami, the Finance Minister, has remained actively involved in discussions with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) delegation concerning salary disbursements for KRG employees.
On Saturday, the Ministry confirmed that Minister Taif Sami participated in all scheduled meetings aimed at resolving the salary concerns and pension issues affecting the Kurdistan Region. Following these engagements, Sami underscored the urgency of convening a session at the Ministry of Finance dedicated to auditing and reviewing the lists, annual costs, and monthly expenses, with the aim of implementing any necessary amendments promptly.
The KRG delegation, currently in Baghdad for these discussions, has met with Taif Sami and his technical team from the Ministry. Previously, the KRG Finance Ministry acknowledged that their meetings in Baghdad had been “positive.”
The Ministry of Finance has reported ongoing efforts by joint committees to conduct thorough audits and comparisons of salaries for civilian pensioners, contract employees, and social welfare recipients.
Following the recent meeting, an insider revealed to a reporter that Minister Sami instructed the technical team to draft a communication authorizing the payment of salaries to KRG personnel.
Additionally, a senior government source indicated that the first month’s salary payment is expected to take place imminently, with an allocation of 950 billion dinars. This source, who was present at the discussions between the KRG and the Iraqi delegation, stated that “Baghdad will process the payment of the first month’s salary tonight.” It is anticipated that the distribution of these salaries will commence on Tuesday and continue in the following days.