Turkey Seizes Assets of Reza Zarrab, Witness in Sanctions-Evasion Case
- 6 years ago
Turkey Seizes Assets of Reza Zarrab, Witness in Sanctions-Evasion Case
1, 2017
Turkish prosecutors on Friday ordered the seizure of assets belonging to an Iranian-Turk gold trader who has been a key witness in the
Manhattan trial of a Turkish bank executive accused of violating United States sanctions on Iran, Turkish state media reported.
It came a day after the witness, Reza Zarrab, testified in Federal District Court
that he was told in 2012 by a Turkish official that Recep Tayyip Erdogan, then prime minister, ordered two Turkish banks to participate in a billion-dollar sanctions-busting scheme.
Turkish state and pro-government media outlets have not reported on key developments in the trial, including Mr. Zarrab’s testimony this week implicating Mr. Erdogan
and his account of paying tens of millions of dollars in bribes to Zafer Caglayan when he was the country’s economy minister, as part of the scheme.
The Turkish state news agency, however, was the first to report on Friday’s court order to confiscate all of the assets of Mr. Zarrab
and his family, including his wife, Ebru Gundes, a famous Turkish pop singer.
Asked about the Turkish order to seize Mr. Zarrab’s assets, his lawyer, Benjamin Brafman, said, "It would be
inappropriate to comment until after the trial of Mr. Atilla is completed." Prosecutors had no comment.
1, 2017
Turkish prosecutors on Friday ordered the seizure of assets belonging to an Iranian-Turk gold trader who has been a key witness in the
Manhattan trial of a Turkish bank executive accused of violating United States sanctions on Iran, Turkish state media reported.
It came a day after the witness, Reza Zarrab, testified in Federal District Court
that he was told in 2012 by a Turkish official that Recep Tayyip Erdogan, then prime minister, ordered two Turkish banks to participate in a billion-dollar sanctions-busting scheme.
Turkish state and pro-government media outlets have not reported on key developments in the trial, including Mr. Zarrab’s testimony this week implicating Mr. Erdogan
and his account of paying tens of millions of dollars in bribes to Zafer Caglayan when he was the country’s economy minister, as part of the scheme.
The Turkish state news agency, however, was the first to report on Friday’s court order to confiscate all of the assets of Mr. Zarrab
and his family, including his wife, Ebru Gundes, a famous Turkish pop singer.
Asked about the Turkish order to seize Mr. Zarrab’s assets, his lawyer, Benjamin Brafman, said, "It would be
inappropriate to comment until after the trial of Mr. Atilla is completed." Prosecutors had no comment.