Turkey’s Erdogan Slams US Verdict Against Turkish Banker

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan railed against U.S. conviction of a paramount Turkish banker in a sanctions-evasion trial and portrayed the court ruling as part of a “chain of plots” against Turkey.

“What we are seeing America is a chain of serious plots,” Erdogan said at a press conference at Istanbul Ataturk Airport before departing for France for an official trip.

His sharp condemnation came after a U.S. jury found Mehmet Hakan Atilla, a deputy chief executive at state-run Halkbank, guilty on five charges, including conspiracy to violate sanctions on Iran, conspiracy to defraud the U.S., bank fraud, conspiracy to commit bank fraud and money laundering conspiracy.

He was not convicted over money laundering charge in the case, which gave way to a rapid deterioration of mutual trust in the relations.

“If this is the U.S. understanding of justice then the world is doomed. There can be no such understanding of justice,” AFP quoted him as saying.