The lawyers representing Hakan Atilla, the deputy general manager of state-owned Halkbank, sent a letter to the U.S. judge presiding over the case, calling for him to settle on a "just and compassionate" sentence for the banking executive who was found guilty on five of six counts, including violating U.S. sanctions on Iran, crimes to deceive the U.S. and defrauding U.S. banks. Contrary to the maximum sentences for the charges adding up to 95 years in prison, in a 75-page letter they submitted to Judge Richard Berman of the Southern District of New York, who will announce the sentence on April 11, the lawyers said Atilla, according to their calculations, should get at most a 46 to 57 months in prison. They said even 46 months was much too long for their client.
They argue that the case was exceptional and that many international banks that had violated sanctions imposed on Iran had escaped with a fine while none of their employees were charged with any crimes. They say the trial had shown that Atilla was a simple state servant who was victimized by Turkish-Iranian businessman Reza Zarrab, who masterminded the scheme but turned state's evidence against Atilla for a lighter sentence, having earlier accepted all the charges against him.
Zarrab was arrested on March 16, 2016 before turning state's evidence on Oct. 26, 2017 and testifying against Atilla, who was arrested in March of last year while on a business trip in the U.S.
The prosecutor's office is yet to submit its own deliberations for Atilla's sentencing.
The letter also includes excerpts from letters written by Atilla's family, friends and acquaintances, describing him as a much-loved family man who is well-respected in his community.
Atila's lawyers are expected to file an appeal as soon as Berman announces his verdict.
During the trial, the defense team asserted that Zarrab and former Halkbank CEO Süleyman Aslan should be punished instead of Atilla. They pointed to Zarrab's testimony in which he explained phase by phase how he violated the sanctions. U.S. prosecutors charged nine people in the case, although only Zarrab and Atilla are known to be in U.S. custody. The other defendants include Aslan and former Economy Minister Zafer Çağlayan.
Besides the deliberately distorted testimony and odd developments, Turkish authorities often criticized Berman's proved links with the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ).
Evidence has revealed that Berman was hosted at a FETÖ-linked event in Istanbul. Documents confirm that Berman's trip to Turkey was paid for by the terrorist group, including all of his transportation and hotel fees, after the failure of FETÖ's Dec. 17 and Dec. 25, 2013 operations, which was a so-called corruption inquiry that turned out to be a plot to topple the government.
The hotel bills show that Berman stayed one night at the Four Seasons Hotel in Istanbul in room number 2203 on May 6, 2014, where a symposium on justice and the rule of law was organized by the FETÖ-linked Yüksel Karkın Küçük (YKK) Attorney Partnership.
At the symposium, Berman targeted the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government, claiming that Turkey is governed by one-man rule and suggesting that the current government must be changed – ideas consistently propagated by FETÖ supporters. The judge had also criticized the dismissal of FETÖ-linked judges, prosecutors and police officers on charges of unlawful wiretapping.
