Erdogan Calls US Court Ruling Against Atilla a 'Political Coup Attempt' Against Him

The President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has strongly criticized the conviction of the former Halkbank manager during the Reza Zarrab case in the US, stating that this ruling is a 'political coup attempt' against him and his government. On January 9, during a speech to members of the Justice and Development Party, Erdogan claimed that the trial of Mehmet Hakan Atilla in the United States was a joint effort by the CIA and FBI to undermine him. Atilla, the deputy general manager of Halkbank, was found guilty on several charges related to circumventing sanctions against Iran on January 3. The prosecution accused him of being involved in a scheme to bypass sanctions and exchange Iranian oil and gas for gold using the US financial system. In response to the ruling, Turkey's Deputy Prime Minister labeled the trial a 'political conspiracy,' and Erdogan's spokesperson described it as 'a scandal from a disreputable court.' The US prosecution described the charges as 'ridiculous,' with John Kim, acting US Attorney in New York, stating that Atilla was convicted in a complete, fair, and transparent process. In the case of violating Iran sanctions, nine individuals were charged by the US prosecution; Reza Zarrab and Atilla were the only ones arrested in the US. Zarrab, an Iranian-Turkish gold trader and one of the defendants, ultimately cooperated with the prosecution. He confessed to helping Iran circumvent sanctions and bribing Turkish officials. Zarrab claimed he paid $50 million in bribes to Turkey's former economy minister for transferring gold from Iran. He also stated that the money from Iranian oil and gas was converted into gold through Halkbank and then sent to Dubai for sale and conversion into cash. He further accused Erdogan of having personally authorized the circumvention of US sanctions against Iran. Erdogan has denied these accusations. The developments in Zarrab's case and Atilla's conviction are said to be a new blow to Ankara-Washington relations.