Monthly Spotlight: The Barzanis’ Hidden Web of Lawyers and Lobbyists

From the Barzani Watch Editorial Board – The Barzani family holds an extraordinary amount of power and control. Their vast portfolio of investments and properties spans multiple industries and continents, and the true extent of their power is not always immediately apparent. The clan employs a vast network of proxies, consultants, lawyers, and lobbyists – an army of professional enablers who safeguard the family’s positions in various legal and diplomatic arenas and ensure that their wealth and influence can grow unchecked and largely unseen.

Kurdistan Victims Fund lobbying

One such example of this network is the Washington DC-based law and lobbying firm ArentFox Schiff, employed to provide a range of support in the US. On January 30^th 2024, the Kurdistan Victims Fund filed a complaint against 14 members of the Barzani family, accusing them of complicity in a litany of crimes ranging from murder to terrorist financing. In the weeks and months following the complaint, ArentFox Schiff requested 42 meetings with members of the US Congress on behalf of the KRG, according to Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) filings.

Many of these were turned down, according to journalist and senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, Michael Rubin. When Masrour Barzani visited DC the following month, he “repeatedly asked American officials to intervene to dismiss the case”, Rubin also reported.

In the six months before April 2024, ArentFox Schiff received $130,000 from the KRG, according to the filings.

Chartwell Strategy Group

In December 2023, the Barzanis agreed to pay Chartwell Strategy Group, a strategic advisory firm specializing in government relations, risk management, and strategic communications, $300k for “consulting services” over the course of 2024, according to an agreement that the company filed with FARA. The agreement was signed by Treefa Aziz, the KRG’s representative to the US.

The American Kurdish Committee

The Barzanis also pay the CEO and President of the American Kurdish Committee (AKC) $16,500 per month for consulting services and another $10,00 to cover monthly expenses, according to FARA filings. The AKC is a non-profit organization that, according to its website, exists to “enhance the essential partnership between the Kurds and the United States”. As part of that mission, the AKC’s activities include “lobbying Congress for legislation to help enhance ties between the Kurdish people and the United States; and outreach to policymakers, which may include U.S. government officials”, according to the AKC’s FARA filings. The same filing also notably states that “the KRG may contribute financially to AKC in the future” beyond the existing consulting agreement.

British reputation management firms

In March 2023, the International Court of Arbitration found that Sirwan Barzani, the owner of Korek Telecom and nephew of Masoud Barzani, had defrauded Iraq Telecom, a joint venture between Kuwaiti logistic firm Agility and French telecommunications firm Orange. Korek and Sirwan were ordered to pay $1.65 billion in damages. In the years prior, Sirwan had enlisted the help of two prominent British “reputation protection specialists” to assist with the case, according to the Paris-based Intelligence Online. Hawthorn Advisors was hired to assist in managing the media around the dispute, according to the report. Meanwhile Schillings’ team of lawyers and private investigators were enlisted to advise on media and privacy laws.

Schillings is well known for its work on a variety of notable cases, having previously represented the Harry Potter author J. K. Rowling, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, and, according to The New York Times, the Russian oligarch Alisher Usmanov, an alleged ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

In court, Sirwan Barzani was represented by the US firm Boies, Schiller & Flexner. The clan have a long history of employing this firm, having used it back in 2014 when the Iraqi federal government accused the KRG of selling stolen oil, according to Bloomberg.

Pedawi Papers

This network of lawyers and lobbyists does not solely develop and protect the family’s influence. According to The Pedawi Papers, a key piece of evidence in the Kurdistan Victims Fund lawsuit, this network has also been instrumental in concealing and growing the Barzanis’ assets while evading legal scrutiny.

Over the course of decades, the Barzanis relied on trusted individuals like former long-time aide Sarwar Pedawi to funnel millions of dollars into offshore shell companies, according to the documents. Journalist and senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, Michael Rubin, has alleged that the money siphoned off by the clan may have included aid funds, adding that despite “overwhelming evidence” of these activities, some U.S. Congress members continue to support the Barzanis, influenced by proxies and lobbyists acting for Kurdish oil interests.

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The Barzanis family’s reliance on professional enablers, often acting in the shadows and across various jurisdictions, to conceal their wealth and gain influence is striking. By facilitating the Barzanis’ pursuit of wealth and influence, these law firms, lobbyists, and consultants help to support a system of inequality where transparency is optional, accountability is almost non-existent, and the clan bypasses the rules that apply to everyone else.