The Foreign Ministry stated on Jan. 4 that the U.S. court verdict sentencing Turkish banker Hakan Atilla is “unjust and unfortunate.”
Atilla, the former deputy chief executive officer of Turkish state lender Halkbank, was found guilty on Dec. 3 by a jury in New York on five charges related to conspiracy and bank fraud related to violating sanctions on Iran. He was acquitted of money laundering.
The Foreign Ministry also described the case as an “intervention in Turkey’s domestic affairs.”