Three members of the state-owned North Oil Company were arrested by a force affiliated with the Iraqi National Security, sent specifically from Baghdad to carry out the operation, upon the recommendation of a committee formed in the Iraqi Council of Ministers.
On Monday, July 22, force members raided the company's Sarlu station near the district of Dibis (Dubiz). They arrested the three members and transferred them to Baghdad," according to a security source who spoke anonymously to (KirkukNow).
The source indicated that "a committee formed under the direction of the Iraqi Prime Minister has been following the oil export transport from the station affiliated with the North Oil Company for three months, and two days ago they raided the Sarlu station and arrested three members who were present at the station."
Oil is transported via tankers from the Sarlu station to the Erbil-based Kar Group for refining.
"The force was affiliated with the National Security and came from Baghdad and arrested the three members," the source added.
They were arrested for charges of playing with official records.
"The three were supervising the oil export counter, and according to the committee's follow-ups, they recorded a smaller quantity than what was exported from the station," explaining that "investigations are ongoing, but no other people from the company were arrested in connection with the case."
Regarding the quantity that was exported compared to what was recorded, the source said, "It varied according to the days. Sometimes the exported quantity was 30,000 barrels, but they recorded 25,000 barrels only".
The northern, oil-rich city Kirkuk, is home to about 1.77 million Kurds, Turkmen, and Arabs. Located 238 kilometers north of Baghdad, Kirkuk is an ethnically mixed province and has long been at the center of disputes between the federal government in Baghdad and the Kurdistan Regional Government KRG.
There are five main crude oil-producing fields in Iraq’s second largest reserve; Avana, Bay Hassan, Baba Dome, Jambur, and Khabaza, under the control of the Iraqi Government’s North Oil Company.
On Wednesday, July 24, the representative of the Justice Group bloc in the Iraqi parliament posted on his personal Facebook page, "The North Oil Company was exporting daily quantities of oil through pipelines to the Kar Group to refine it, but the recorded quantity was less than the exported."
"The Iraqi National Security and the Integrity Commission, after gathering information, raided the North Oil Company and arrested three members who supervised the oil export counter. Other people are suspected of being involved in the case," he added.
Kirkuk crude oil was exported daily through the (KRG) oil pipeline to Turkey, yet has been suspended since March 25, 2023, following a decision of the International Court of Arbitration in Paris against Turkey.
Kirkuk crude oil is sold domestically at the present and supplied to local refineries after exports through the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) pipeline to Ceyhan Port in Turkey were suspended.
In April, there were no exports from Kirkuk oil fields to Turkey, while in March hit over 1.7 million barrels only, half of last February exports, while its revenues exceeded $126 million.
Crude oil exports from the Kirkuk fields through pipelines and tanks in 2022 passed 29.5 million barrels, with revenues exceeding $2.8 billion.
