US accused former Turkish Minister of Economy of violating anti-Iran sanctions

Baku. 7 September. REPORT.AZ/ Federal prosecutors in New York announced on Wednesday the filing of a new indictment that charges a former Turkish economy minister Mehmet Zafer Çağlayan, a former general manager of the Halk Bankası ("People's Bank") Suleyman Aslan and two other Turks with participating in a broad conspiracy to violate the United States’ sanctions against Iran. Report informs citing the RIA Novosti.

Prosecutors have charged that Mr. Zarrab, a gold trader and dual citizen of Iran and Turkey, Mehmet Hakan Atilla, a deputy chief executive officer at Turkiye Halk Bankasi and others conspired to facilitate millions of dollars in transactions on behalf of Iran and other sanctioned entities through the use of front companies and false documentation.

According to a report on the website of the US Justice Department, the scheme was widely acted by the aid of the Turkish state bank. The suspects contributed to the activities of Zarrab and hid the role of the bank in this matter.

While Caglayan was a minister, the indictment charged, he “received tens of millions of dollars’ worth of bribes in cash and jewelry from the proceeds of the scheme to provide services” to the Iranian government and concealed those services from United States regulators.