ABSTRACT
Corruption and concerns about rule-of-law have also sullied Iraqi Kurdistan's reputation internationally among governments, media, and potential investors. Even Masoud Barzani, the de facto president of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), has acknowledged the problem and created a five-year "Draft National Strategic Plan to Combat Corruption." Embezzlement and misappropriation of aid and weaponry also hampered the fight. As Masoud Barzani's legal term in office ended in August 2015, his political party convoyed military equipment that had been diverted away from the fight and into party control through the heart of Erbil. As the KRG weathers a financial crisis with the government regularly defaulting on its payroll, the government has begun to tackle the problem of ghost employees, at least among some sectors. Nepotism fuels corruption throughout Iraqi Kurdistan in both the public and private sectors but remains a sensitive subject.
