Iraq: Kurdish governance issues exposed in London court battle

The influential and sometimes intimidating role in overseeing and brokering oil exploration contracts played by a senior Talabani family member Bafal Talabani – now a leading figure in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq’s fight against Islamic State (IS or Daesh) – has been exposed in the English Commercial Court. To considerable embarrassment for the participants, the mid-April hearing explored the dealings underpinning the Kurdamir PSC, one of the longest-running production-sharing contracts in the region, over six days. Depending on the result, it could be extremely costly for Canada-based international oil company (IOC) WesternZagros Resources Ltd (WZR).