Mehmet Hakan Atilla

Moving assets abroad is act of treason

Ankara - Muslimchronicle

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared Sunday that businessmen who move assets abroad are committing "treason", adding that his government should put an end to the practice. "I am aware that some businessmen are attempting to place their assets overseas. I call on the government not to authorise any such moves, because these are acts of treason," Erdogan said inRead more

Turkey seizes assets of gold trader witness in US trial: state media

Ankara - Muslimchronicle

Turkish prosecutors on Friday ordered the seizure of assets of a gold trader testifying in a New York trial against a Turkish banker accused of violating US sanctions against Iran, state media reported. The Istanbul public prosecutor said Reza Zarrab and his family's assets were to be confiscated as part of a probe into the mogul, state-run news agency AnadoluRead more

Gold trader tells US court: I paid ex-Turk minister over Iran deals

New York - Muslimchronicle

A Turkish-Iranian gold trader paid millions of dollars in bribes to Ankara's former economy minister to facilitate illegal gold transactions with sanctions-hit Iran, the trader testified on Wednesday. Reza Zarrab had been due to go on trial Tuesday in Manhattan federal court, but the prosecution made clear that Zarrab was, instead, their star witness. The lone man in the dockRead more

Jury selection set for trial of Turkey-owned bank executive

NEW YORK - Muslimchronicle

Jury selection is scheduled to begin in the trial of a top executive for a state-run bank in Turkey accused of conspiring to help Iran evade economic sanctions. Halkbank Deputy CEO Mehmet Hakan Atilla has pleaded not guilty to charges he conspired with international gold trader Reza Zarrab. Jury selection is set to begin Monday. It’s unknown what role ZarrabRead more

Turkish lira hits record low against US dollar

Washington - Muslimchronicle

The embattled Turkish lira hit record lows against the dollar on Tuesday as investors took fright over an impending trial in the United States and changes to banking regulations. The Turkish lira lost over one percent in value to trade at 3.97 to the dollar late morning, testing the never-before-reached 4.0 ceiling, before rallying slightly to 3.95 in the earlyRead more

Turkey asks US for news on jailed businessman Zarrab

london - Muslimchronicle

Turkey on Wednesday asked the United States for information regarding the situation of a Turkish-Iranian businessman who is due to go on trial later this month in a case that has angered President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Reza Zarrab, 34, who holds both Turkish and Iranian citizenship, was arrested in Miami in March last year en route to Disney World onRead more

US arrests Turkish banker on charges of violating Iran sanctions

Ankara - AFP

The US has arrested a senior official at a state-owned Turkish bank on charges of helping Iran violate US sanctions, a move that could fuel tension ahead of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's visit on Thursday. Halkbank's Mehmet Hakan Atilla is accused of helping to process millions of dollars of illegal transactions through US banks for the Iranian government andRead more