On Friday, PUK spokesman Amin Baba Sheikh said Mala Bakhtiar had been “poisoned” and that he was sent abroad for tests and to receive treatment.

In a statement, a source close to Mala Bakhtiar said results from Al Khalidi Hospital in Jordan and Vivantes Hospital Group in Germany had shown that the PUK official had been poisoned with 'mercury’.

“Detailed and scientific tests were conducted for him at the two hospitals, Al Khalidi Hospital in Jordan, and Vivantes in Berlin,” said the source, who claimed he had released the information after consultation with the PUK official.

“The results of the two hospitals and police’s special investigations have proved that Mala Bakhtiar had been exposed to mercury poisoning,” the source added.

The source further said Mala Bakhtiar would present “all the evidence” to the public, the PUK and parties as well as consulates and embassies after he returned from Berlin in two weeks.

“He is waiting for the immediate meeting of the PUK Supreme Political Council and the Politburo regarding this crime,” the source stated.

Mala Bakhtiar would also file lawsuits at courts in the Kurdistan Region and a Western country, according to the statement.

“This crime was carried out a long time ago, not a job of the last two or three months,” the source said.

On Friday, the PUK spokesman said there were other indications that several people in Sulaimani Asayish (security) had also been “poisoned”, without releasing names.

Reporter's code: 50101