Halkbank

U.S. prosecutors have charged a former Turkish economy minister and a former general manager of a state bank with conspiring to evade U.S. sanctions against Iran, with a Turkish minister defending his predecessor. 

Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekci claimed on Sept. 7 that his predecessor Zafer Çağlayan, charged in the United States with conspiring to evade U.S. sanctions against Iran, has "done nothing to harm his country."

"Çağlayan did not do anything against Turkey's interests," Zeybekci told reporters. 

U.S. prosecutors have charged a former Turkish economy minister and a former general manager of a Turkish state bank with conspiring to evade U.S. sanctions against Iran, a U.S. attorney's office has said in a filing.

A leading British consultancy named Türk Telekom on June 14 as Turkey's most valuable brand for 2017.        
According to the London-based Brand Finance valuation consultancy's list of top 100 Turkish brands for the year, the integrated telecommunications service provider topped the list with a brand value worth more than $2.6 billion.        

Halk Investment CEO Murat Çetinkaya was elected as the new CEO of Turkey's main stock exchange Borsa Istanbul, replacing Osman Saraç, during the bourse's 4th Ordinary General Board Meeting on June 8. 

Borsa Istanbul Chair Himmet Karadağ has kept his position. 

Rudy Giuliani and former U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey have penned two fresh affidavits explaining their role in representing a wealthy Turkish-Iranian gold trader accused of helping Iran evade U.S. sanctions. However, the government told a New York federal judge on May 22 that more information is needed to rule out a conflict of interest.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has commented on the cases into Iranian-born Turkish businessman Reza Zarrab and the deputy general manager of Halkbank, Mehmet Hakan Atilla, saying steps will be taken regarding the issue. 

Both Zarrab and Atilla are under arrest in the United States and charged with participating in a multi-year scheme to violate U.S. sanctions against Iran.

The Iranian-born Turkish businessman Reza Zarrab has denied charges against him in the case over attempting to evade U.S. sanctions on Iran, while Mehmet Hakan Atilla, a deputy general manager of Halkbank, said he has no connection to the case. 

Turkey's benchmark index closed the week with a 384.55-point hike to reach 92,423.93 points on April 21, marking it the second highest close of all time.      

Former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, hired to resolve criminal charges against Turkish gold trader Reza Zarrab, said in an affidavit that senior U.S. officials are open to a deal that would help his client while promoting the security interests of the United States.