This study examines the impact of audit committee meeting frequency and director busyness on the financial performance of Iraqi non-financial listed firms, with earnings management incorporated as a mediating variable. The analysis is based on a balanced panel of 35 firms listed on the Iraq Stock Exchange from 2011 to 2023. To address issues of endogeneity, heterogeneity, and simultaneity, the study employs the two-step system Generalised Method of Moments (GMM) estimator. The findings reveal that frequent audit committee meetings reduce accounting-based performance (ROA and ROE) but enhance market valuation (Tobin’s Q), while director busyness negatively affects accounting outcomes without influencing market value. Earnings management decreases when meetings are more frequent, yet it undermines long-term performance and partially mediates the relationship between audit committee characteristics and financial performance. Overall, this study contributes to the corporate governance literature in emerging markets by providing novel evidence on how audit committee structures shape earnings quality and firm outcomes. The results highlight important implications for regulators and policymakers, stressing the need to balance committee workloads and promote effective meeting practices to curb earnings manipulation and foster sustainable corporate performance in Iraq.
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