ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - A Monday hearing of Kurdish opposition leader Lahur Sheikh Jangi is set to be transferred to Erbil from Sulaimani, pending approval from the Appellate Court of Erbil, the People's Front leader's chief lawyer told The New Region on Monday.

The case has been sent to Erbil's appeals court, and they will decide whether it will be transferred to Erbil or not, Burhan Rashid Gulla, Jangi's chief lawyer, told The New Region, adding that the People's Front leader "was in good spirits" in the courtroom.

Erbil’s court may decide to move the case completely, or intervene even if it stays in Sulaimani, according to Gulla.

Jangi was the co-chair of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), the ruling party in Sulaimani province, before establishing the People’s Front.

He was arrested by PUK forces in an August operation by PUK-affiliated forces, for allegedly attempting to assassinate PUK leader Bafel Talabani.

The altercation in Jangi's residence in Sulaimani's Lalezar hotel saw the opposition leader resist the arrest for several hours, with his Scorpion force clashing against the PUK's in a bloody firefight lasting several hours.

Another source close to Jangi separately confirmed to The New Region that the transfer of his case had been sumbitted to Erbil and was "pending approval" from Erbil's court. The source said that the People's Front leader "was in good spirits" in the courtroom on Monday.

The Lalezar battle killed more than a dozen on Jangi’s side and saw the arrest of multiple others. At least three PUK-affiliated fighters also died in the immediate aftermath of the operation and at least 19 more wounded, before ultimately leading to the arrest of the People’s Front leader and his brother Polat Sheikh Jangi.

Accounts of the casualties on Jangi's side, including those of his paramilitary Scorpion force, remain unclear, with some members of the group reportedly remaining unaccounted for.

The PUK accuses Jangi of causing instability in Sulaimani province and plotting to assassinate Bafel Talabani, PUK head, and his brother Qubad Talabani, deputy prime minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government. Jangi, a British national and Bafel’s cousin, now awaits trial in Kani Goma house, facing various charges, including murder and forming an illegal armed force.