ERBIL, Kurdistan Region -- Lahur Talabany, the co-chair of Sulaimani’s ruling Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), and his brothers were granted bail by Sulaimani’s court on Wednesday after warrants were issued for their arrest last month amid a power struggle within the PUK.
“After the plot of July 8th, a number of allegations were made against me and my brothers,” Lahur Talabany said in a statement following the court session, adding that they were granted bail after presenting “testimonies and legal evidence” that proved their innocence.
Lahur Talabany showed up to court early Wednesday morning with his brothers Aso, Ako, and Polad Sheikh Jangi. Ako and Polad have been previously accused of extortion, corruption and theft.
“I reiterate that the law is above all of us no matter what rank, position or office someone holds, and that the decisions of the judges and courts must be respected,” he added.
An arrest warrant was issued for Lahur Talabany on August 3, while two of his brothers were issued an arrest warrant on July 27.
On July 20, Lahur Talabany said that he had “temporarily” handed over power to his rival co-chair and cousin Bafel Talabani on the condition of the formation of a committee “to investigate and follow up on all the baseless allegations and propaganda in some media and social media that were being published to mislead” after rumors of a power struggle in the party.
Last month, Bafel Talabani and his brother, Qubad Talabani, changed the heads of the PUK’s intelligence agency and counter-terrorism units, replacing officials who were close to Lahur Talabany with others loyal to Bafel Talabani. He also changed his social media bios to “president” of the PUK, and official party media referred to Lahur Talabany as “former co-president.”
Bafel Talabani referred to himself as the co-president again in July. He said a shakeup in the PUK was to end abuse of party positions for personal gain, including “smuggling, extortion, threats, and spying.”
Lahur Talabany and Bafel Talabani were elected as co-chairs of the PUK in February 2020, following years of wrangling within the party over who would succeed the late Jalal Talabani, who died in 2017.
