Draw Media, Iraq Oil Report

The Oil Ministry’s lawsuit against seven oil companies operating in Kurdistan gained momentum as a Baghdad judge moves toward reviewing contracts.

 A Baghdad court dealt a setback Sunday to the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) legal strategy of attempting to delay a federal lawsuit against seven international oil companies (IOCs) operating in Kurdistan.

Judge Mohammed Ali Mahmoud Nadeem said the federal Oil Ministry’s case against the IOCs at Baghdad’s Karkh Commercial Court could move forward even though the KRG Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) has filed a related lawsuit against several Oil Ministry leaders at Erbil’s Court of Criminal Investigation.