Barzani may be summoned by Iraq’s judiciary, parliamentary sources say

President of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq Masoud Barzani speaking at a press conference in Erbil

Sources at the Iraqi parliament said the judiciary intends to issue a summons against Iraq’s Kurdistan Region Government (KRG) President Masoud Barzani following  lawsuits filed against him regarding 55 alleged violations.

It is expected that the judicial summons will be issued on Sunday. The lawsuits cite affairs related to the referendum and to threatening Iraqi security and the illegal smuggling of oil, in addition to other administrative and legal violations.

On Thursday, a Baghdad court issued an arrest warrant for Kosrat Rasul, the vice president of Iraqi Kurdistan, on charges of “provocation” against Iraq’s armed forces. 

Meanwhile, the Iraqi parliament’s Security and Defense Committee recommended the joint operations’ command to suspend arming the Peshmerga forces affiliated with the North Iraqi area after they shelled Iraqi forces in Kirkuk.

source: AFP