ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — A media outlet affiliated with the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) on Monday shared a video accusing the brothers of party co-president Lahur Talabany of extortion, corruption, and theft. The video was published the same day Talabany announced he would go to court to resolve an internal PUK power struggle that saw him ousted from his post. In the video, a man identified as Bilind Ali Abdulrahman who works in the oil industry, accused Polad Sheikh Jangi of “kidnapping” him in 2015 in an attempt to force him and his family to hand over money and property to Lahur Talabany’s other brother, Ako Sheikh Jangi. The video was released a few hours after Talabany said that he has decided to take accusations against him to court after party was unable to form an investigative committee. Last month, rumours of a power struggle within the PUK were confirmed when co-president Bafel Talabani changed his title to president, apparently ousting his cousin and co-leader Lahur Talabany. Bafel and his brother, Qubad Talabani, also 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. Bafel Talabani said a shakeup in the PUK was to end the abuse of party positions for personal gain, including “smuggling, extortion, threats, and spying.” On July 20, Lahur Talabany said that he had “temporarily” handed over power to his cousin on the condition a committee be formed “to investigate and follow up on all the baseless allegations and propaganda.” Bafel Talabani then changed his title back to co-president. In his statement on Monday, Talabany said he will remain in the Kurdistan Region despite apparent moves to force him abroad. Polad Sheikh Jangi, one of the men accused in the video published by PUK media, was the head of the counter-terror unit who was replaced last month. “I received a message on my phone. It was Polad Sheikh Jangi. He was my friend and I knew him … He asked me where I was and I called him,” Abdulrahman said in the video. He said he went to Polad’s office where he claims he was locked inside, his phone was taken, and Polad said he owed them $50 million. Abdulrahman claimed he was held for 27 days and then taken to a deserted place with his hands tied, face covered, and Polad forced him to call his family and hand over assets to Ako Sheikh Jangi. They took a concrete factory, a house, money and other properties, Abdulrahman claimed. 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.
