United States v. Atilla

Keeping a close watch on the movement of Turkish-Iranian businessman Reza Zarrab, who was arrested in 2016 for violating the U.S. sanctions on Iran and released on bail in 2018 after being a witness in the case, the U.S. media has revealed the lavish lifestyle of Zarrab in Miami.

Turkey's Halkbank on April 12 urged a U.S. appeals court to dismiss a case over alleged violations of sanctions on Iran.

Arguing before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, Halkbank lawyer Simon Latcovich said US prosecutors have no jurisdiction over the bank, as it is immune under the U.S.' Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act.

A U.S. judge on Feb. 16 agreed to dismiss a case against Turkish state-lender Halkbank filed by victims of attacks by groups linked to Iran, on the condition that the sides reach an agreement to carry on with the case in Turkey.

Turkish state lender Halkbank will be arraigned in a U.S. court next week to face a federal indictment for alleged evading Iran sanctions.

The bank was represented by the law firm of King & Spalding at a hearing on Feb. 25 and attorneys said it agreed to appear at the proceedings.

Halkbank was charged in October with attempts to evade U.S. sanctions on Iran.

A U.S. appeals court in Manhattan granted Turkish state lender Halkbank a temporary pause in its Iran sanctions evasion case.

The temporary stay in the case was granted on Feb. 3 to allow for the bank's requests to be heard by a three-judge panel.
The court said it would take up Halkbank's requests on an expedited basis.

A racehorse belonging to Reza Zarrab, a Turkish-Iranian businessman who was arrested in the U.S. in 2016 over evading sanctions on Iran, had to leave his champion-style life in a hippodrome to live a more modest life on a simple ranch on the outskirts of Istanbul.

Turkey's state-owned Halkbank has denied any wrongdoing after U.S. prosecutors charged the lender with partaking in a scheme to evade U.S sanctions on Iran.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the first delivery of the Russian S-400 missile defense system would take place within 10 days, broadcaster NTV reported on Sunday, a day after he said there would be no US sanctions over the deal.