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Iraqi supreme court rules against PM Abadi on VP positions

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi speaks to reporters after a meeting with the top Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, in the Shiite holy city of Najaf, south of Baghdad, October 20, 2014. REUTERS/Alaa Al-Marjani /File Photo

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq's supreme court on Monday ruled against a decision by Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to scrap three vice-president positions. Abadi cancelled the positions in August 2015, one year after he took over the premiership, as part of cost-cutting reforms, following an oil price collapse that curtailed the OPEC nation's income. The court said these positions were created by the Constitution and cannot be cancelled by a simple government decision. (Reporting by Ahmed Rasheed, Writing by Maher Chmaytelli, Editing by Angus MacSwan)