An unnamed Kurdish writer for the UK-based investigative newspaper Private Eye has criticised the Barzani family in a satirical article entitled ‘Postcard from Erbil’.
In the article, the author portrays the Barzanis as “at the head of an organisation focused on personal enrichment”.
Although the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) reportedly receives $1 billion a year in oil revenues, it has failed to pay civil servants and pensioners their due salaries. The author attributes this to alleged corruption within the Barzani family, claiming they have used the funds for personal luxuries, including lavish mansions and expensive watches.
In fact, as Medya News reported in 2021, estimate the family’s wealth to be in the billions. The KRG’s inability to meet its obligations has led to strikes by public sector workers, including teachers, doctors and nurses, over the past year.
In one case of corruption, Private Eye highlighted that Sirwan Barzani, the president’s nephew, was found to have defrauded Iraq Telecom Ltd by bribing the Iraqi Communications and Media Commission, resulting in Iraq Telecom being awarded $1.65 billion in damages. Similarly, in 2021, UK-based Genel Energy accused the KRG of illegally terminating gas production contracts.
Recently, members of the Barzani family attended an Iraq-Britain Business Council event in London, where they organised an investment summit. However, the event was disrupted by a group called ‘Barzani Watch’, who scattered fake ‘Bank of Barzani’ banknotes around the venue, mocking the family’s alleged involvement in corruption and bribery.
The KRG authorities have long faced allegations of corruption. In 2022, widespread anti-corruption protests in the Iraqi Kurdistan region were met with a heavy-handed response from security forces.
Kurdish journalist Amed Dicle shared the Private Eye article on social media platform X, adding his own criticism of the Barzani family. He accused them of turning the dream of an independent Kurdistan into a ‘web of corruption’ and called for accountability.
Meanwhile, the KRG and the Baghdad government have struck a deal with Turkey to allow military operations in northern Iraq in exchange for economic concessions on water, oil and infrastructure.
