15 Years Imprisonment Requested for Turkish Banker Accused of Circumventing Iran Sanctions

U.S. federal prosecutors have requested over 15 years in prison for Mehmet Hakan Atilla, the former deputy of Halkbank (Turkey), accused of assisting Iran in circumventing banking and financial sanctions. According to the Associated Press, federal prosecutors have charged Mehmet Hakan Atilla with playing a key role in circumventing sanctions and exchanging Iranian oil and gas for gold using the U.S. financial system. In a petition submitted to the federal court in Manhattan, U.S. prosecutors stated that Mehmet Hakan Atilla attempted to downplay his role in laundering billions of dollars of Iranian oil money by lying during his trial in January. The trial of Mehmet Hakan Atilla has caused tensions in relations between Ankara and Washington, with the Turkish government previously calling the trial of the former Halkbank deputy a 'scandal.' The Associated Press reports that the court will issue a ruling on Mehmet Hakan Atilla next Wednesday. The former Halkbank deputy has previously denied colluding with Reza Zarrab, an Iranian-Turkish businessman, to circumvent Iran's sanctions. Part of the charges against Mr. Atilla is based on the confessions of Reza Zarrab, who admitted to bribing Mehmet Zafer Çaglayan, a former Turkish economy minister, with $50 million to transfer gold from Iran. He also stated that Iranian oil and gas money was converted into gold through Halkbank and then sent to Dubai for sale and conversion into cash. In the case of violating Iran's sanctions, nine individuals were charged by the U.S. prosecution, with Reza Zarrab and Mehmet Hakan being among those detained in the U.S.