Re: https://www.upi. com/Top_News/US/2018/01/03/Turkish-banker-Hakan-Atilla-convicted-in-US-sanctions-busting-case/3361515022759/
Mehmet Hakan Atilla, deputy chief executive of Halkbank, found guilty on 5 charges, including conspiracy. He was acquitted of money laundering.
Reza Zarrab aka Rita Saraf, duel citizen (Turkey & Iran) pleaded guilty to co-conspiracy scheme to get sentencing leniency in exchange for testimony against Atilla. Other charges: conspiracy to defraud US, violate IEEPA, bank fraud, and money laundering.
Zarrab was arrested in Miami
3/21/16 Spring Breaking with wife and daughter.
Indictment by Asst. AG for Natl Security John Carlin, US Atty Preet Bharara, and Asst DIC FBI NY field ofc Diego Rodriguez.
Said he paid $60 million in bribes from 2010-2015. Helped move $12 billion + to Iran controlled accounts. Zarrab implicated Erdogan in gold-for-oil scheme to bypass US/Iran sanctions
2012 Zarrab paid Turkey Econ minister Mehmet Zafer Caglayan to hide transfers by making transactions appear to be legit gold purchases.
Deal was Zarrab and Caglayan split profits equally.
2013: Erdogan fired and jailed prosecutors and judges. He said Caglayan acted within law, investigation was a plot to remove him from power. He arrested Zarrab and raided Allan’s home-$4.4 million cash found. Turkey “trial” all released and charges dropped.
Zarrab was to be part of prisoner swap between US and Turkey. Fell through so Zarrab decided to work with US Treasury to turn on Atilla.
Enter Huseyin Korkmaz, lead investigator in Turkish case. He was reassigned, then imprisoned in Turkey for 18 mos for alleged links to Gulen. fled to US (by way of 2 countries and forged passport) with evidence in 2016 after failed coup attempt. US “law enforcement officials” helped Korkmaz gain entry to US where he handed over audio recordings, photographs, statements, and documents. Korkmaz got $50,000 from FBI and US prosecutors.
Evidence showed collusion by top Turkish govt officials in money laundering scheme to evade US sanctions on Iran. He named Zarrab as “mastermind” of scheme. Named Caglayan, Erdogan and Suleyman Aslan (ex-CEO-Halkbank). Scheme: Gold trades to get Iran’s money out of bank, then as “humanitarian food shipments” after revised Un sanctions banned gold trade. Korkmaz testified to shutdown of Turkish investigation and bribery payments to Turkish gov’t.
Based on evidence, US opened own case, alleging Zarrab, Atilla, Caglayan and others, conducted money laundering scheme to go around sanctions and use Iran’s money to make international payments on Turkey’s behalf. Allegedly $@ billion flowed through NYC banks in violation of US sanctions. From justice. gov “Among the beneficiaries of these scheme were Bank Mellat, an Iranian government-owned bank designated, during the time of the charged offenses, by the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) as a Specially Designated National (SDN) under the Iranian Transactions and Sanctions Regulations, the Iranian Financial Sanctions Regulations and the Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferators Sanctions Regulations; Mellat Exchange, an Iranian money services business owned and controlled by Bank Mellat; the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC), identified during the time of the charged offenses by OFAC as an agent or affiliate of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp (IRGC); the Naftiran Intertrade Company Ltd. (NICO), Naftiran Intertrade Company Sarl (NICO Sarl) and Hong Kong Intertrade Company (KHICO), companies located in the United Kingdom, Switzerland and Hong Kong, respectively, that were acting on behalf of NIOC; and the MAPNA Group, an Iranian construction and power plant company. Bank Mellat, NIOC, NICO Sarl, NICO and HKICO are no longer designated as SDNs and NIOC is no longer identified as an agent or affiliate of the IRGC, though these entities remain “blocked parties,” with whom U.S. persons continue to be prohibited generally from engaging in unlicensed transactions or dealings.”
Erdogan lobbied for their release at WH.
12/13 Turkey summoned FBI attaché at US Embassy. State Dept confirms. What happened to him?
12/20 Istanbul prosecutors looking Korkmaz’s parents, wife, brother, and 2 sisters because Korkmaz testified that he gave documents to mother to hide. They have not been located.