Iraqi Supreme Judicial Council: Bafel Jalal Talabani is PUK's President

P.U.K 03:43 PM - 2023-02-21

The decision of Iraqi Supreme Judicial Council

In a final judgment concerning the position of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) President, the Iraqi Supreme Judicial Council ruled in favor of the PUK and its President, Bafel Jalal Talabani.

"Today, the Iraqi Supreme Judicial Council, the Board of Election Judges gave a final decision on the case of (Lahur Jangi) that Bafel Jalal Talabani is the President of PUK, and all procedures are legitimate," stated the attorneys for President Bafel Jalal Talabani.

According to the attorneys, the decision was made in favor of the PUK and President Bafel Jalal Talabani and cannot be appealed.

Head of President Bafel's legal team: All decisions made within the PUK are legal

Pavel Hakim, the head of President Bafel Jalal Talabani's legal team, stated that "all decisions made by the PUK and President Bafel were lawful, and the Election Judicial Board announced the final judgment on the complaint of Lahur Jangi on February 21, 2023, which was not in his favor." 

Hakim stated that the Election Judicial Board's ruling is final and that no appeal could be filed in any Iraqi court, including those in the Kurdistan Region.

He continued, "According to the decision, all internal changes to the PUK, including the election of Bafel Jalal Talabani as president, the amendment of policies, the expulsion of Lahur Jangi Burhan, and the appointment of some leadership members to the Political Bureau, are legitimate, which was previously appealed." 

Pavel Hakim commented on the letter sent out by the Erbil Asayish Court as follows: "Such matters are outside the jurisdiction of the Erbil Asayish Court." "Our legal team hasn't received anything official, but we will have our own opinion out of respect for the judiciary's sovereignty and independence." 

The Supreme Judicial Council's ruling was based on a complaint Lahur Jangi lodged against Bafel Jalal Talabani and the PUK in the Karkh court in Baghdad. The Sulaymaniyah Court heard the case, and a final decision was issued in favor of President Bafel Jalal Talabani and the PUK. 

The Board of Commissioners also issued a decision on January 20, 2023, rejecting Lahur Jangi's lawsuit and emphasizing that the PUK's internal system permitted the changes, which were "correct and legal" and "took place in accordance with the party's internal policies" and that the Sulaymaniyah Court of First Instance had already resolved this issue.



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