Al-Salami warns of constitutional violations in transferring Baghdad International Airport to the World Bank.
Al-Salami warns of constitutional violations in transferring Baghdad International Airport to the World Bank.
11-8-2025
The Information Agency / Baghdad –
MP Hadi al-Salami revealed on Saturday that the Cabinet’s decision to transfer Baghdad International Airport and the civil aviation sector to the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, contains serious legal and constitutional violations. He emphasized that this decision infringes upon national sovereignty and contradicts existing Iraqi laws.
Speaking to the Information Agency, al-Salami stated, “The decision to transfer Baghdad International Airport to foreign investment in cooperation with the IFC includes fundamental violations that undermine the independence of Iraqi economic decision-making and the protection of public funds.” He pointed out that “the proposed contract subjects disputes to arbitration in London under English law, which means relinquishing national jurisdiction and exceeding the authority of Iraqi courts.”
He added, “The IFC has granted itself absolute immunity from legal accountability and obligated Iraq to waive its sovereign immunity, which constitutes a clear violation of Article 9 of the Iraqi Constitution, which affirms the independence and sovereignty of the state and rejects any external tutelage.”
He explained that “the proposed contract represents a model of adhesion contracts in which the foreign party imposes unfair conditions on the Iraqi party, in violation of the provisions of civil law and the principles of contractual justice.” He pointed out that “the project also violates the requirements of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), because airport and air navigation fees are sovereign fees that are not subject to investment or transfer.”
The MP indicated that “the project also violates the amended Iraqi Investment Law No. 13 of 2006, which prohibits transferring profitable government institutions to foreign investment, as there are no financial losses or economic justifications for such a transfer.”
He added that “the International Finance Corporation (IFC) has financial ties to institutions that deal with the Zionist entity, which constitutes a clear violation of the Anti-Normalization Law No. 1 of 2022.” He emphasized that “the failure to publish the contract details and the lack of transparency in the transfer procedures represent a violation of the principle of publicity in government contracts stipulated in the Integrity Law and the Federal Budget Law.”
Al-Salami added that “the data from the General Company for Airports and Air Navigation confirms the stability of the airport’s financial and technical situation, and its possession of self-funded development plans valued at 129 billion dinars, which negates the need for any foreign partnership.” He explained that “the company’s board of directors officially rejected the partnership offer due to the lack of financial or technical justification.”
He noted that “the file has been referred to the Federal Integrity Commission and the Public Prosecution Office to take the necessary legal measures,” pointing to “the cooperation of a group of members of parliament, the Air Transport Syndicate, and sector employees in following up on the case to preserve national sovereignty and the public interest.”
almaalomah.me
