A leading British news magazine has published an article accusing the Barzani family of being a “mafia outfit dedicated to lining their own pockets”, according to Medya News. The article, published in Private Eye, reports that alleged corruption has allowed the family to amass significant wealth in the US while failing to pay public sector workers.
The Private Eye article also warned that efforts to diversify Kurdistan’s economy have been hindered by its treatment of international investors. In 2021, British oil and gas company Genel Energy brought arbitration proceedings against the Kurdistan Regional Government, alleging that it had illegally terminated two gas production sharing contracts. Separately, Sirwan Barzani’s refusal to pay a $1.65 billion arbitral award after he defrauded a joint venture between Kuwait’s Agility Public Warehousing Company and France’s telecoms company Orange was also cited by the magazine.
