The case of a former army sniper who was fired from his Edmonton Police Service job is heading to the Alberta Court of Appeal.

Const. Rob Furlong, a decorated veteran of the war in Afghanistan, was fired last year from the police for urinating on a fellow officer and other misconduct.

But Alberta's Law Enforcement Review Board ordered him reinstated, saying the penalty was too harsh and that Furlong had completed an alcohol rehabilitation program.

The Edmonton Police Service then sought leave to challenge the board's ruling in the Alberta Court of Appeal.

In a judgment released today, a judge agreed to hear the appeal, but says it should be dealt with quickly, because Furlong continues to be suspended without pay.

Furlong, a former army corporal, was lauded in 2002 for shooting a Taliban fighter at a range of 2.43 kilometres — the longest sniper kill ever recorded at the time.