The Iraqi Federal Supreme Court on Ownership and Control of Oil in the Kurdistan Region: Decision in Cases No. 69/2012 and 110/2019 of 15 February 2022

What is it about?

A translation of the decision of the Iraqi Federal Supreme Court of 15 February 2022 on ownership and control of the oil resources in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq with an introductory comment. The case concerns the dispute of whether the Kurdistan Region of Iraq is permitted to independently export oil or whether all oil exports must go through SOMO, the (federal) state oil marketing organization. In the decision, the court denied the Kurdistan Regional Government's authority to control and marekt the oil resources in the Kurdistan Region. The case has repercussions far beyond Iraq as it entails that oil contracts entered into between international oil companies (IOCs) and the Kurdistan Regional Government are illegal.

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