Sarkis is known, in addition to his political roles, for massive development and aid programs he has begun in which he built or repaired dozens of Churches, roads, schools and Assyrian settlements throughout northern Iraq through the "Higher Committee for Christian Affairs" that he established.
In August 2006, Sarkis was awarded the "Knight Commander of the order of Saint Gregory the Great" by Pope Benedict XVI as a way to honour his work helping the Assyrian Christian community in Iraq.
[1] Aghajan was awarded the title, which is one of the highest and most widely recognized pontifical orders, for his contribution to the Assyrian community and his work for Christians in Iraq.
Part of this speculation was due to the fact that around the same period he went missing more than 20,000 Assyrian had been displaced and 13 killed in Mosul as part of a pogrom in 2008, and there were rumors of Corruption in the Kurdistan government, and as finance minister he might have been aware of it, leading to speculation that he might have been killed to cover it up.
[6] However, after going missing, a new finance minister was appointed,[7] and then shortly after being replaced he was found again in the summer of 2009, when he appeared in his palace in Ankawa in what he claimed to be a medical vacation outside the country.