ANKARA, TURKEY — There is currently a case making its way through the U.S. federal courts that is playing a significant role in increasing tension between Washington and Ankara. Federal prosecutors in New York recently announced they would seek a 15- to 20-year prison sentence for Mehmet Hakan Atilla, a Turkish national who was formerly an executive at the majority-Turkish-state-owned Halkbank.
Turkish gold trader Reza Zarrab, who is also involved in Special Counsel Mueller's investigation, has been released from federal prison and given immunity, and will be the star witness at a trial over a scheme to evade U.S. sanctions against Iran. Federal prosecutors in New York will have Zarrab on the stand on Wednesday to testify against his former co-defendant, Turkish bank executive Mehmet Atilla.
Join Sibel Edmonds in this Newsbud exclusive for the most comprehensive analysis in the case of Reza Zarrab, the high-profile people closely involved- from President Trump, Rudy Giuliani, Michael Mukasey and Robert Mueller, to President Erdogan and major Turkish bankers, and the likely manipulation of the case with serious implications for two presidents. Anticipation is building from Turkey to the US about potential explosive revelations in this Zarrab case, which has been shrouded in mystery and filled with surprises.
